The findings followed trials carried out on 130 people, who included 400g a week of a new strain of broccoli in their diets.
The new strain was developed using conventional breeding techniques to contain up to three times more of the naturally occurring compound glucoraphanin, which converts to sulforaphane. The Beneforté strain of broccoli is now on sale in UK supermarkets, IFR said.
Heart disease
After 12 weeks of including Beneforté in their diets, LDL cholesterol levels in the subjects dropped by an average of 6%, according to IFR scientists, who worked with researchers at the University of Reading. Elevated levels of LDL cholesterol are linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
Glucoraphanin is believed to help our bodies retune cellular metabolism.
Mitochondria, the energy centres of the cell, convert sugars and fats into energy. However, they turn sugars and fats into cholesterol if they don't work correctly or are overloaded, IFR researchers have said.
Defence
“Glucoraphanin is converted by the body to sulphoraphane, which turns on specific genes that activate our bodies’ defences against this [cholesterol-loading] happening, rebalancing metabolism away from the production of LDL cholesterol,” they added.
Other foods proven to lower LDL cholesterol are beta-glucans in oats and plant stanols, which work by reducing cholesterol absorption.
Meanwhile, having between three and five servings of broccoli a week could help protect the body against some cancers, according to research carried out by Elizabeth Jeffery, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois in the US, last year.