READING, ENGLAND - There’s a new broccoli variety in town, and eating it could drop your cholesterol by quite a bit.
While not exactly new, as it has been in markets for a few years, it's definitely new-ish. And new-ish was enough to get the attention of the University of Reading.
The broccoli variety, currently being called Beneforté, was recently used in two independent studies run by the University of Reading in the United Kingdom that claim it can reduce blood LDL-cholesterol levels by as much as 6%.
Beneforté broccoli is the result of over 10 years of cross-pollination and selection, and combines the most desirable attributes of commercial broccoli and a wild broccoli variety found in southern Italy. This wild broccoli, related to the familiar broccoli we eat today, has a increased ability to produce phytonutrients such as glucoraphanin.
The key to Beneforté is that it was bred to contain two to three times more glucoraphanin, which is thought to help our bodies increase cellular metabolism.
According to a report provided by the University of Reading, researchers gave volunteers 400g of the high glucoraphanin broccoli per week. And after 12 weeks, LDL-cholesterol was lowered by an average of 6%.
With LDL cholesterol being a recognized as a risk factor for heart disease, any reduction could be seen as a victory.
Beneforté is already being sold in some supermarkets, so keep an eye-out for this next possible superfood.
