Corn pudding: what the eggs bring to the dish

Corn pudding is a baked dish of corn and egg, and the strongest evidence on this page is about the egg. According to a meta-analysis of 28 randomized trials of whole eggs, eating them raised LDL cholesterol by 5.55 mg/dL (95% CI 3.14 to 7.69) and HDL by 2.13 mg/dL compared with control groups. A 214 g cup of corn pudding holds about 150 mg of cholesterol in USDA survey data, from one recipe-based record. A meta-regression of 55 randomized diet trials in 2,652 people puts the LDL rise at 1.9 to 4.6 mg/dL for each extra 100 mg of dietary cholesterol a day, and where it lands in that range depends on the model the authors fitted. The same cup brings about 248 calories, 32 g of carbohydrate, 11 g of fat and 663 mg of sodium.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Corn pudding recipes differ a lot. The USDA home-prepared record lists 282 mg sodium and 72 mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz (100 g), while UK CoFID homemade corn pudding lists 43 mg sodium and 55.3 mg cholesterol. — — (n = 2 records) Evidence E source
  Sodium 282 vs 43 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g); cholesterol 72 vs 55.3 mg; vitamin B12 0.31 vs 0.8 mcg

What a real portion looks like

• A 1 cup serving of corn pudding (214 g) carries about 248 calories, 32 g carbohydrate, 9.9 g sugars, 11 g fat and 663 mg sodium in USDA survey data. — — (n = 1 FNDDS record) Evidence E source
  Per 214 g cup: 248 calories, 32.1 g carbohydrate, 9.9 g sugars, 11.0 g fat, 9.7 g protein, 663 mg sodium, 3.2 g fiber
• A cup of corn pudding holds about 150 mg cholesterol from its eggs and about 1,050 mcg lutein plus zeaxanthin from corn and yolk in USDA survey data. — — (n = 1 FNDDS record) Evidence E source
  Cholesterol 70 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), 149.8 mg per cup; lutein + zeaxanthin 491 mcg per 3.5 oz (100 g), 1050.7 mcg per cup

What your body absorbs

• Eating whole egg with carotenoid-rich vegetables raises carotenoid absorption. In a randomized crossover trial in 16 young men, adding 3 eggs raised lutein and zeaxanthin absorption 4 to 5 fold. — 16 healthy young men, single test meals, randomized crossover (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Lutein and zeaxanthin AUC 4-5 fold higher with 150 g egg vs no egg (P<0.001); total carotenoids 125.7 vs 14.9 nmol/L x 10 h

What cooking and storage change

• Baking costs the vegetable part of corn pudding a modest share of its vitamins. USDA retention factors for baked vegetables keep 85% of vitamin C and folate and 90% of thiamin. — — (n = 1 retention code) Evidence E source
  Vitamin C 85%, folate 85%, thiamin 90%, riboflavin 95%, minerals 100% retained

What it does to your health

• According to a meta-analysis of 28 randomized trials, eating eggs raises LDL cholesterol by about 5.55 mg/dL and HDL by 2.13 mg/dL, with no change in the LDL to HDL ratio. — 28 randomized trials published after 2000, egg consumers vs non-consumers (n = 28 studies) Evidence A source
  LDL-C +5.55 mg/dL (95% CI 3.14 to 7.69); total cholesterol +5.60 mg/dL; HDL-C +2.13 mg/dL; ratios unchanged
• According to a meta-regression of 55 randomized diet trials in 2,652 people, each extra 100 mg of dietary cholesterol a day raises LDL by about 1.9 to 4.6 mg/dL. — 55 randomized dietary intervention trials, 2,652 subjects (n = 2652) Evidence A source
  LDL +1.90, +4.46 or +4.58 mg/dL per 100 mg/day by linear, Michaelis-Menten and Hill models

Who this works differently for

• Saturated fat moved LDL more than egg cholesterol in a randomized crossover trial of 61 adults: 2 eggs a day within a low saturated fat diet lowered LDL versus a high saturated fat control over 5 weeks. — 61 adults with baseline LDL below 135 mg/dL (3.5 mmol/L), three 5-week isocaloric diets (n = 61) Evidence B source
  LDL 103.6 (EGG) vs 109.3 (control), P=0.02; saturated fat beta 0.35, P=0.002; dietary cholesterol beta -0.006, P=0.42

What is still unknown

• No study has looked at corn pudding itself, and national tables cannot say how much cholesterol survives baking or how much the dish varies between kitchens. — — (n = 0 records) Evidence E source
  No Foundation spread data; cholesterol absent from USDA retention Release 6; zero PubMed records for corn pudding

The bottom line

In one trial, saturated fat moved LDL more than egg cholesterol did. In a randomized crossover trial of 61 adults with normal LDL, two eggs a day inside a low saturated fat diet gave a lower LDL after 5 weeks than a high saturated fat control, 103.6 against 109.3. Only 48 people finished all three diets, and small LDL particles rose on the egg diet. Across the diets, saturated fat intake tracked LDL and dietary cholesterol did not. The egg also helps the corn. In a randomized crossover trial in 16 young men, adding 3 scrambled eggs to a vegetable salad raised absorption of lutein and zeaxanthin 4 to 5 fold. That was a raw salad eaten once, by men only, and nobody tested baked corn. A cup of corn pudding carries about 1,050 mcg of lutein plus zeaxanthin in USDA survey data. Recipes vary more than one table suggests. The USDA home-prepared record lists 282 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g) and the UK homemade record lists 43 mg, a gap that comes from the salt and egg each recipe uses. Baking costs the vegetable part a modest share of its vitamins. USDA factors for baked vegetables in general keep 85% of vitamin C and folate, and no factor covers the eggs and milk. This page holds no evidence on allergy, pregnancy or medicines for this dish, so it has no safety section, and the dish is made with egg. No study has looked at corn pudding itself.

Sources

1. cpud-r3-01 · USDA SR Legacy and CoFID 2021, dataset
   Corn pudding, home prepared (FDC 170492, SR Legacy): cholesterol 72 mg, vitamin B12 0.31 ug, sodium 282 mg per 100 g. CoFID 2021 Corn pudding, homemade [15-725]: cholesterol 55.3 mg, vitamin B12 0.8 ug, sodium 43 mg, energy 78 kcal, fat 2.9 g, total sugars 5.9 g per 100 g.
   USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy FDC 170492 and CoFID 2021 code 15-725 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-10-02
2. cpud-r3-02 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Corn, scalloped or pudding (FDC 2710046, WWEIA Vegetable dishes), per 100 g: energy 116 kcal, carbohydrate 14.98 g, total sugars 4.63 g, total fat 5.12 g, protein 4.54 g, sodium 310 mg, fiber 1.5 g. 1 cup = 214 g: 248.2 kcal, 32.1 g carbohydrate, 9.9 g sugars, 11.0 g fat, 9.7 g protein, 663.4 mg sodium, 3.2 g fiber. Quantity not specified = 107 g.
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 (FoodData Central Survey Foods), Corn, scalloped or pudding, FDC 2710046 · checked 2026-10-02
3. cpud-r3-03 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Corn, scalloped or pudding (FDC 2710046): cholesterol 70 mg per 100 g, 1 cup (214 g) 149.8 mg, 107 g 74.9 mg; lutein + zeaxanthin 491 ug per 100 g, 1 cup 1050.7 ug.
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 (FoodData Central Survey Foods), Corn, scalloped or pudding, FDC 2710046 · checked 2026-10-02
4. cpud-r3-05 · randomized crossover trial
   Healthy young men (n = 16) consumed the same salad (all served with 3 g canola oil) with no egg (control), 75 g scrambled whole eggs (1.5 eggs) [low egg (LE)], and 150 g scrambled whole eggs (3 eggs) [high egg (HE)] (a randomized crossover design). ... The TRL AUC(0-10h) of lutein and zeaxanthin increased 4-5-fold (P < 0.001)
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-10-02
5. cpud-r3-04 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3771 VEG,OTHER,BAKED, group Vegetables and Vegetable Products: vitamin C 85% retained, folate 85%, thiamin 90%, riboflavin 95%, niacin 95%, vitamin B6 95%, calcium, iron, potassium, sodium 100%.
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Code 3771 · checked 2026-10-02
6. cpud-r3-06 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   The data were obtained from 28 studies. ... Overall, egg consumption increased total cholesterol (TC) by 5.60 mg/dL (95% CI: 3.11, 8.09; P<0.0001), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) by 5.55 mg/dL (95% CI: 3.14, 7.69; P<0.0001) and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) by 2.13 mg/dL (95% CI: 1.10, 3.16; P<0.0001) compared with the control group.
   J Am Coll Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-10-02
7. cpud-r3-07 · meta-regression of RCTs
   Fifty-five studies (2652 subjects) were included in the analysis. ... Mean predicted changes in LDL cholesterol for an increase of 100 mg dietary cholesterol/d were 1.90, 4.46, and 4.58 mg/dL for the linear, nonlinear MM, and Hill models, respectively.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-10-02
8. cpud-r3-08 · randomized crossover trial
   Compared with CON, EGG but not EGG-FREE reduced LDL cholesterol (CON 109.3 ± 3.1 μg/dL compared with EGG 103.6 ± 3.1 μg/dL P = 0.02 compared with EGG-FREE 107.7 ± 3.1 μg/dL, P = 0.52). Across all diets, saturated fat intake was positively correlated with LDL cholesterol (β = 0.35, P = 0.002), whereas dietary cholesterol was not (β = -0.006, P = 0.42).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
9. cpud-r3-09 · USDA R6 and FDC, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6: corn pudding, no method; cholesterol not in Release 6. FDC Foundation variability: no record for corn pudding. PubMed corpus: 0 records for corn pudding.
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, and USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods · checked 2026-10-02