Nutrition debates rarely stay quiet for long. From trending meal plans to viral food challenges, conversations about cholesterol, protein, and heart health circulate constantly. Many people adjust their diets to manage weight, improve lab markers, or support athletic performance. Against that backdrop, researcher and educator Nick Norwitz conducted an unusual self-experiment: consuming 700 eggs in one month to observe how his cholesterol levels would respond.
The structure of the experiment was straightforward but extreme. Averaging about two dozen eggs per day, he aimed to test a longstanding assumption—that high dietary cholesterol automatically raises LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. For years, eggs were often singled out in heart-health discussions because of their cholesterol content. More recent research, however, has suggested that the body’s internal cholesterol regulation may be more complex than once believed.
According to Norwitz’s publicly shared results, his LDL levels did not increase during the experiment. He reported a slight reduction in the early phase and a more noticeable decline by the end of the month. He also noted that later adjustments to his diet—including increased carbohydrate intake and fruit consumption—coincided with additional changes in his blood markers. These observations align with broader scientific discussions indicating that cholesterol levels are influenced by multiple factors, including genetics, total dietary pattern, and metabolic health.
The key takeaway is not an endorsement of extreme eating habits, but a reminder that human metabolism is nuanced. Individual responses to dietary changes can vary widely, and controlled self-experiments do not replace personalized medical guidance. Instead, this case highlights how nutrition science continues to evolve, encouraging thoughtful evaluation of long-held assumptions about food and health.