In this YouTube video, the creator recounts a self‑experiment in which he consumed 24 eggs per day (720 eggs total) over a 30‑day period while still sleeping. He hypothesized that the massive intake of dietary cholesterol (≈133,200 mg) would raise his LDL cholesterol, but observed the opposite: LDL dropped 2 % in the first two weeks and an additional 18 % in the final two weeks. He explains the physiological mechanism—cholesterol binding in the gut triggers cholecin release, which activates the liver receptor GPR146 to suppress endogenous cholesterol synthesis, maintaining homeostasis. The later, larger LDL decline is attributed to re‑introducing ~60 g of net carbs (fruit) after a low‑carb phase, illustrating the “lean mass hyper‑responder” phenotype where low‑carb diets raise LDL, HDL, and lower triglycerides, and modest carb intake can reverse the LDL rise. The video also reflects on the use of extreme diet experiments as “legit‑bait” to capture social‑media attention, discussing how packaging (eggs, puns) drives clicks, influences audience psychology, and can spark broader scientific dialogue. He invites viewers to consider why they clicked the video and the broader implications of incentive structures in nutrition content creation.
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I ate 1 egg per hour, every hour, for a whole month. Well, first things first, to clarify, I did in fact sleep. That was an average. So I ate 24 eggs per day, 2 cartons, for 30 days, for a total of 720 eggs over 1 month. Now, second things second, why did I do this? Setting aside for the fact that I'm a little bit crazy, but crazy with a purpose generally. Well, 10%, I did this because I just like eggs. 20%, I did this for the egg puns and yolks I'll drop throughout the video. Can you catch all 7? But The main reason, well, you'll have to wait a little bit longer to find out. Anyway, I hypothesized that eating 720 eggs in 1 month, which alone amounts to 133,200 mg of cholesterol, would not increase my cholesterol. Specifically, it would not increase my LDL cholesterol. And indeed, drum roll, it didn't. Not a smidge. All those eggs did not increase my cholesterol, even though my dietary intake of cholesterol more than quintupled. Tupled. My LDL cholesterol actually dropped by 2% over the first 2 weeks, and then it dropped by 18 more percent over the subsequent 2 weeks. I'll explain this change in drop slope in a moment, but first, there's mechanistic reason for why dietary cholesterol doesn't increase cholesterol, serum cholesterol, all things being equal. As I've explained in other videos, you can check out this video. While it's been known for some time that dietary cholesterol has very little impact on normal people's cholesterol levels, it was only recently discovered as to why this is, the mechanism. Briefly, just high-level summary, when you eat cholesterol, the cholesterol binds to receptors on gut cells, and this stimulates the release of a hormone called cholecin. And cholecin binds to its receptor on the liver called GPR146, and this inhibits endogenous cholesterol synthesis by the liver, so things balance out and homeostasis is maintained. For more on those data, again, check out this video. It's Exciting science. Egg-citing science. And it will definitely scramble your brain. Now, why did my LDL not change over the first 2 weeks and then drop about 18% over the final 2 weeks? What accounts for that change in drop slope? Well, carbohydrates. Dietary carbohydrates. If you follow me, you almost certainly know about the famous Oreo versus statin experiment where I demonstrated, consistent with our prior literature, including case series and interventional trials, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, and our understanding of lipid physiology in lean people who go low carb, that adding back carbs really of any sort, be it Oreos, fruit, or starches, is sufficient to reduce LDL in the so-called lean mass hyper-responder phenotype. Check out more on that below. But briefly, in lean insulin-sensitive people who go on low carbohydrate diets, especially ketogenic diets, it's common for LDL levels to rise as part of a lipid triad including high LDL, high HDL, and low triglycerides. And this lipid triad, we think, constitutes a metabolic signature of an extreme shift from carb burning to fat burning, whereby VLDL particles exported from the liver are turned over at fat and muscle tissue, leading to a jump in LDL, a jump in HDL, and low triglycerides. Again, check out the content below for more on that. But adding back carbs reduces the need for an upregulation in systemic lipid trafficking through the cholesterol system, And this phenotype, the high LDL, high HDL, low triglyceride phenotype, reverts and LDL drops. Otherwise, and very simply stated, adding back carbs can drop LDL, at least in these lean mass hyperresponders. And yes, any net carbs will work. In this case, I chose primarily fruit and a modest dose, just 60 grams of net carbs for the final 2 weeks. And I included bananas, blueberries, strawberries, and a few frozen cherries that I honestly dipped in macadamia butter because I love macadamia butter. Anyway, I chose this dose, the 60-gram dose, out of curiosity. Because I knew 60 grams per day wouldn't be enough to totally reverse my lean mass hyper-responder phenotype and drop my LDL cholesterol to quote "normal levels," which is about 90 milligrams per deciliter for me when I'm on a mixed standard American-style diet before I went keto. But I figured 60 grams will be enough to have some effect. I'd probably ebb and flow out of ketosis. And the effect was sizable, an 18% drop. Now, if I doubled that dose to 120 grams per day, I think I would have seen closer to the 71% drop I saw with the Oreo cookies. But more to the point here is that in the battle between conventional wisdom and platitudes and outside-the-box thinking based on new understanding of physiology, i.e., super high cholesterol intake through a ton of eggs versus just a little bit of fruit, the extra dose of carbs dominated over the insane amounts of cholesterol I was eating. Again, over the month, at least 133,200 milligrams and dietary fat as well. To tally up the math, In the final 2 weeks where I was also eating a little bit of fruit, I was eating at least 75 grams per day of saturated fat and about 5,000 milligrams per day of dietary cholesterol, which is a lot more than my usual. And despite this, the quote "blueberry power," or I guess berries and bananas, dominated on my cholesterol and dropped it by 18%. Now, I realize this video isn't fully self-contained insofar as I haven't delved too deep into the lipid-energy model and the physiology that predicts this response. Again, you can check out more content linked But there's a reason for that, which gets me back to the why for why I did this video in the first place. What you'll find, no surprise, is that more extreme messages carry further. They become memes. They can self-propagate and spread a message. Sadly, the messages on social media, particularly in the diet space, are often shallow or hollow. But in their best forms, I think they can serve as intellectual provocation to bring people together, provided those people are willing to listen to the words being said and the actual arguments being made when you go a level deeper beyond the packaging, beyond the carton, beyond the shell. I've found utility in this form of legitbait approach, starting with the Oreo versus statin study, which was kind of a social experiment for me. And as silly as it may seem, it did capture the attention not only of a large volume of people, but it also captured the attention of important parties, including other researchers and clinicians who are now on board and aware of the work we are doing. And they're invested in it. They're helping us push it forward. So in the end, this video isn't about eggs at all. It's actually a reflection exercise for both me and you. For me, I'm interested to see what responses this video receives versus my standard basic science breakdown fare. Presumably, if this video gets more clicks, it's because of the packaging, the eggs, the shell. For you, evidently you clicked on this video because you're watching it right now. Otherwise, you wouldn't be hearing me speak. And be honest with yourself. I want you to reflect on why you clicked on this video. Video? Was it because you thought there was a lesson to be learned? That it would be entertaining? Or did you think it would be a devilish blend between the two? Was the click almost reflexive? And if so, what does that say about the population psychology of social media influencing, specifically within the nutrition and diet space? If this is the video you chose to click, perhaps that's a data point in a demonstration that the incentive structure drives content creators to give you extremes, like 720 eggs. Now contemplate, what's the effect of that? What's the effect on me, on you, and then back on me? Is it bad, or is it just a practical reality with which we need to contend? I want you to leave your thoughts below. Let's continue this conversation authentically. And for now, that's all, yolks.
