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Eating broccoli can help prevent heart attacks and strokes, medical experts claimed today.
A chemical found in the vegetable boosts the body's defence system to keep arteries unclogged.
The discovery by scientists at Imperial College London is expected to lead to a breakthrough in treatment for heart patients.
The British Heart Foundation, which funded the research, said the findings highlighted the importance of diet in reducing the risk of diseased arteries.
Professor Peter Weissberg, the charity's medical director, said: "These fascinating findings provide a possible mechanism by which eating vegetables protects against heart disease.
"As well as adding evidence to support the importance of eating 'five a day', the biochemistry revealed in this research could lead to more targeted dietary or medical approaches to prevent or lessen disease that leads to heart attacks and strokes."
The chemical is called sulforaphane and is found naturally in the brassica family of vegetables, which includes rocket, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and bok choy.
Researchers at Imperial investigated how arteries clog up with fatty deposits which trigger heart conditions.
Their findings are published today in the journal Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
Straight sections of arteries are protected by a protein called Nrf2, which prevents cells becoming inflamed, an early indicator for the development of heart disease.
But the Imperial experts found the protein was inactive in bent or branched parts of arteries, and said this could explain why these areas were more susceptible to disease.
They discovered that Nrf2 was attached to a protein in these arteries which made it inactive and stifled its protective properties.
Sulforaphane re-activated Nrf2 in these at-risk regions of the artery, restoring cells' ability to protect themselves from inflammation.
The researchers believe the chemical could enable trouble spots to remain healthy for longer.
In their next phase of research, they will test if sulforaphane can reduce the progression of disease.
Dr Paul Evans, who led the research at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial, said: "Our next steps include testing whether simply eating broccoli, or other vegetables in their family, has the same protective effect as treatment with sulforaphane.
"We also need to see if the compound can reduce the progression of disease in affected arteries."
The health benefits of broccoli are already recognised, especially its potentially protective qualities against cancer.
Studies have shown a chemical in the vegetable boosts DNA repair in cells and may stop them becoming cancerous, and also suggested that eating it could reverse damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels.
The Imperial College study is the first comprehensive investigation using mice into broccoli's artery-protecting properties.
Reader views (2)
In another column you say big thighs are linked to lower heart disease. So the ideal scenario is to eat lots of broccoli, develop big thighs, and hope you donīt get knocked down by a bus.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
Excellent news, with the exception of kale, those are pretty much my favourite winter vegetables, nice to know they have health benefits too.
- Bob, Cheam
