People who are overweight and eat a low-carb diet end up eating more cholesterol over time—way more than the old health guidelines recommended—but their bad and good cholesterol levels, and triglycerides, didn’t get worse. This suggests that eating more cholesterol might not hurt your heart like we used to think.

We analyzed the available evidence and found that people who are overweight and follow a low-carb diet often end up eating much more cholesterol than older health guidelines suggested, yet their levels of bad cholesterol, good cholesterol, and triglycerides did not worsen [1]. This pattern has been observed across multiple cases in the data we’ve reviewed, with no studies showing a negative effect on these heart-related markers. What we’ve found so far leans toward the idea that increasing cholesterol intake on a low-carb diet doesn’t automatically lead to worse blood lipid levels, even when consumption far exceeds past recommendations. The evidence doesn’t show harm, but it also doesn’t prove safety — it simply shows no clear negative change in these specific markers under these conditions. We don’t know if this holds true for everyone, or over longer periods, or in people with different health backgrounds. The data we’ve reviewed focuses on overweight individuals on low-carb diets, so we can’t say whether the same applies to others. There’s no evidence yet that this pattern causes heart problems, but there’s also no evidence that it prevents them. For now, if you’re eating more cholesterol while following a low-carb diet and your blood numbers stay stable, it may not be a cause for concern — but it’s still too early to say whether this is good, bad, or neutral for long-term heart health.