Abstract: Egg is a source of essential fats, amino acids and trace elements with high cholesterol (200-300 mg/egg). Whether an increase in the amount of eggs in the diet will lead to an increase in cholesterol absorption and destruction of cholesterol homeostasis is always the focus of debate. A growing number of studies have consistently concluded that?there is only a weak correlation or no correlation between?dietary cholesterol and/or egg intake and?the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)?in the general population.?Functional ingredients in eggs may regulate the absorption, transport and metabolism of cholesterol. However, a new debate on whether phospholipid-rich eggs promote the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis by trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolic product produced by microbial fermentation, has been triggered. This review aims to summarize the latest progress in dietary recommendation of cholesterol and eggs, the homeostasis of cholesterol metabolism, epidemiological studies on cholesterol and eggs, the relative mechanism of egg intake affecting cholesterol homeostasis, and the correlation between TMAO and CVDs.

Key words: egg intake, cholesterol, metabolic balance, cardiovascular disease, trimethylamine-N-oxide