A new broccoli variety has been shown to reduce levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol by as much as 6 percent, when the cruciferous vegetable is added the diet.

The new broccoli was bred to contain two to three times more of a naturally occurring compound glucoraphanin and is now available in supermarkets, under the name Beneforte, according to the Institute of Food Research.

Working with colleagues at the University of Reading, the institute’s researchers tracked the effects of broccoli in 130 volunteers who ate it as part of their regular diets.

After 12 weeks, the levels of LDL cholesterol in the participants’ blood dropped by an average of about 6 percent.

Because high cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, the researchers calculated adding the new variety of broccoli to the diet could cut coronary artery disease by up to 2 percent in the general population.

Glucoraphanin works by triggering specific genes to “retune” metabolism and reduce the production of LDL cholesterol, the researchers reported in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

High glucoraphanin Beneforté broccoli was developed using traditional breeding techniques at IFR's partners on the Norwich Research Park, the John Innes Centre and the University of East Anglia, and Seminis Vegetable Seeds Inc.

Other food compounds that have been proven to lower cholesterol include beta-glucans in oats and plant stanols.