Mostly no. Plain shrimp is high in cholesterol but very low in saturated fat, and for most people a normal portion is fine. How you cook it matters more.
A 3 oz (85 g) portion of cooked shrimp has about 180 mg of cholesterol, roughly the same as a large egg, but under half a gram of saturated fat. In a controlled trial, a very large daily amount of shrimp raised LDL a little but raised HDL more and lowered triglycerides. Battered, fried or butter-drenched shrimp is a different food: that's where the saturated fat comes in. If you have high LDL with diabetes, keep portions moderate.
Shrimp: nutrition per serving
| Food and serving | Sat fat | Cholesterol | Fibre | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrimp, boiled or steamed3 oz (85 g), about 12 large · FDC 171971 | 0.4 g | 179 mg | 0 g | 101 |
| Shrimp, breaded and fried3 oz (85 g) · FDC 171970 | 1.8 g | 117 mg | 0.3 g | 206 |
| Egg, for comparison1 large (50 g) · FDC 171287 | 1.6 g | 186 mg | 0 g | 72 |
| Butter, for garlic-butter shrimp1 tbsp (14 g) · FDC 173410 | 7.2 g | 30 mg | 0 g | 100 |
Plain shrimp has about 19 g of protein per 3 oz. A second USDA record for cooked shrimp (FDC 175180) lists 161 mg of cholesterol and almost no fat, so values vary by species and sample. Source: USDA FoodData Central (public domain); search the FDC number to see the full record. Values are rounded and vary by brand and recipe.
Saturated fat: the number that matters more
For blood LDL, saturated fat has a bigger and more consistent effect than the cholesterol in food. Shrimp's saturated fat is tiny, about 3% of a 13 g day. Frying it in batter quadruples that, and a tablespoon of butter in the pan adds more than half a day's worth on its own.
Bars show each serving against about 13 g a day, the American Heart Association's target (under 6% of 2,000 calories) for people lowering LDL. Work out your own number with the saturated fat calculator.
What happened when people ate shrimp every day
Researchers at Rockefeller University tested this directly in 1996. Adults with normal cholesterol ate three diets in random order, all low in fat: a baseline diet, the same diet plus 300 g of shrimp a day (590 mg of cholesterol), and the same diet plus two large eggs a day (581 mg).
- The shrimp diet raised LDL by 7% and HDL by 12%, and lowered triglycerides by 13%. Because HDL rose more than LDL, the ratios doctors use to judge risk didn't get worse.
- The egg diet raised LDL by 10% and HDL by 8%, so its ratios trended the wrong way.
Two caveats. 300 g a day is a lot, about three and a half normal portions. And everyone in the study had normal cholesterol, so the result doesn't automatically apply to people who already have high LDL.
The American Heart Association's 2020 advisory on dietary cholesterol says healthy people don't need a strict cholesterol limit if their diet is low in saturated fat, but that people with high LDL, especially with diabetes or at risk of heart failure, should be cautious with high-cholesterol foods. It notes that 3 oz of shrimp has about as much cholesterol as an egg.
How to cook shrimp for lower cholesterol
- Grill, boil, steam or stir-fry with a teaspoon of olive or rapeseed oil.
- Skip the batter and breadcrumbs. Breaded and fried shrimp has more than four times the saturated fat of boiled.
- Swap garlic butter for garlic, chilli, lemon and olive oil. Shrimp scampi and garlic-butter prawns get most of their saturated fat from the butter.
- Watch coconut-milk curries and creamy sauces. Full-fat coconut milk is high in saturated fat; a light version or a tomato-based curry is lower.
- Serve with fibre: brown rice, wholewheat noodles, salad or stir-fried vegetables.
How much is sensible?
For most people, a normal portion of 3 to 4 oz (85 to 115 g) of plainly cooked shrimp once or twice a week is fine, and it counts towards the 1 to 2 seafood meals a week the AHA recommends. If you have high LDL along with diabetes, or your doctor has told you to limit dietary cholesterol, treat a portion of shrimp like an egg and don't stack it with eggs, offal or other high-cholesterol foods on the same day.
For omega-3 fats, oily fish such as salmon is a better choice. In USDA data, 3 oz of shrimp has about 0.2 g of the omega-3s EPA and DHA, against about 1.8 g in the same amount of farmed Atlantic salmon.
General information, not medical advice
This page is for education and doesn't diagnose or treat anything. If you have high cholesterol, take medication or have another health condition, check changes to your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
Are shrimp healthy for you?
Yes, when they are boiled, grilled or stir-fried. A 3 oz portion has about 100 calories, 19 g of protein and under half a gram of saturated fat. It is high in cholesterol, at about 180 mg, which matters most for people with high LDL and diabetes.
How much cholesterol is in shrimp?
About 160 to 180 mg per 3 oz (85 g) cooked, depending on the sample, according to USDA FoodData Central. That is roughly the same as one large egg (186 mg).
Can I eat shrimp if I have high cholesterol?
Usually, yes, in normal portions and cooked without butter or batter. Shrimp has very little saturated fat, which has a bigger effect on LDL than dietary cholesterol. The AHA advises people with high LDL, especially with diabetes, to be cautious with high-cholesterol foods, so keep portions moderate and check with your doctor if you have been told to limit cholesterol.
Is shrimp worse than eggs for cholesterol?
In a controlled trial using similar amounts of cholesterol, shrimp raised HDL more than LDL and lowered triglycerides, while two eggs a day raised LDL more than HDL. Neither is a problem in normal portions as part of a low saturated fat diet.
Are prawns and shrimp the same for cholesterol?
Yes, nutritionally they are very similar. In the UK most shrimp is sold as prawns. Both are high in dietary cholesterol and very low in saturated fat.
Scan or log shrimp in Heart Tracker
Search for shrimp or prawns, or scan a pack, and log the portion you eat. Heart Tracker shows the dietary cholesterol and saturated fat side by side, so you can see what the cooking method adds.
Download Heart Tracker FreeRelated guides
Sources
- De Oliveira e Silva ER, et al. Effects of shrimp consumption on plasma lipoproteins. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;64(5):712–7.
- Carson JAS, et al. Dietary cholesterol and cardiovascular risk: a science advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2020;141(3):e39–e53.
- Rimm EB, et al. Seafood long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: a science advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2018;138(1):e35–e47.
- USDA FoodData Central: shrimp, cooked, moist heat (FDC 171971); shrimp, cooked (175180); shrimp, breaded and fried (171970); egg, whole, raw (171287); butter, salted (173410).