Nattokinase helps destroy blood clots and keeps heart disease at bay

More people live to enjoy a long and healthy old age in Japan than in any other country in the world a fact that has long intrigued scientists.

New research has identified a potent chemical found in natto a fermented soya bean product that is popular in Japan which may be the key to conquering heart disease, which remains the biggest killer in the West.

This has lead to the development of a natural remedy called Nattokinase a natural enzyme which has the ability to dissolve harmful blood clots implicated in heart disease and strokes (Pais E, Alexy T, Holsworth RE Jr, Meiselman HJ. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2006;35(1-2):139-42). It can also lower blood-pressure.

Nattokinase can help ward off deep vein thrombosis

Blood clots (thrombi) are clumps of a naturally-occurring protein called fibrin which can accumulate in a blood vessel. The human body produces several enzymes that promote the formation of blood clots (clotting is a vital mechanism that prevents haemorrhaging), but only one that dissolves them. This enzyme, known as plasmin, diminishes with age and this is a contributory factor in deaths from heart disease. Nattokinase has been found to closely resemble plasmin.

Nattokinases ability to dissolve blood clots makes it particularly beneficial against DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) a condition that causes abnormal blood clotting inside the veins of your legs (Tai MW, Sweet BV. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2006;63(12):1121-3).

The condition tends to develop as a result of long periods of immobility, such as prolonged bed rest following an operation or having to sit for hours on a long-haul flight. It is also more common in those who take the oral contraceptive pill and in obese people over the age of 40. Typical symptoms include leg pain accompanied by redness and swelling of the lower leg area.

Blood clots destroyed in just under 18 hours with Nattokinase

Dr Hiroyuki Sumi, a Japanese researcher at Chicago University, has demonstrated that when nattokinase is dropped onto an artificial blood clot and left to stand at body temperature, the clot gradually dissolves and disappears completely within 18 hours. Dr Sumi said that it showed a potency matched by no other enzyme (Sumi H. Interview With Doctor of Medicine Hiroyuki Sumi. Japan Bio Science Laboratory Co. Ltd).

In human trials undertaken by researchers from three organisations JCR Pharmaceuticals, Oklahoma State University, and Miyazaki Medical College, in Miyazaki, Japan 12 healthy Japanese volunteers aged between 21 and 55 were given 200 grams of natto daily.

Fibrinolytic (pertaining to or causing the breaking up of blood clots) activity was then measured through a series of blood tests. The tests confirmed that natto generated a heightened ability to dissolve blood clots (Journal of Fibronolysis and Thrombolysis. Abstracts of the ninth international congress on fibrinolysis, Amsterdam, 1988, Vol.2, Sup.1:67).

Dr Martin Milner of the Center for Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, is enthusiastic about the clinical use of natto: Natto and nattokinase represent the most exciting new development in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular related diseases that I have come across in my career.

Nattokinase is fast proving to be superior to conventional clot-dissolving drugs

Chinese researchers from the College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, have reported that nattokinase may prove to be better than expensive conventional treatments for heart attacks.

Currently, many patients who suffer a heart attack (which is caused by a blood clot in their heart arteries) receive emergency intravenous treatment with artificial fibrinolytic enzymes, such as tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), which are pumped through their veins to try and dissolve the clot. However, this form of treatment can cause side effects such as excessive bleeding, mild allergic reactions, fever and chills, nausea and/or vomiting, transient low or high blood pressure, tachycardia, back pain and acidosis.

In addition, tPAs are short-lived, losing effectiveness within 4 to 20 minutes after being taken. They work only when administered intravenously so they cannot be given to a heart attack or stroke victim until medical help arrives. This delay can greatly compromise their life-saving potential.

By contrast, natural fibrinolytic enzymes, such as nattokinase, can dissolve blood clots just as effectively as synthetic enzymes but without the side effects or the need to be administered intravenously (Peng Y, Yang X, Zhang Y. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2005 Nov;69(2):126-32).

In animal studies, nattokinase has also been shown to be effective at speeding up the healing process of the inside lining of the arteries. Scientists at the Department of Pharmacology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, in Japan, gave nattokinase to a group of rats with damaged arteries.

The scientists found that nattokinase improved the healing rate of the arteries and reduced the formation of clots near the site of the injury. A similar group of animals with damaged arteries, who received a placebo treatment, did not experience any such improvements (Suzuki Y, Kondo K, Matsumoto Y, et al. Life Sci. 2003 Jul 25;73(10):1289-98).

Remarkable blood-pressure lowering properties too

In addition to its anti-clotting factors, nattokinase has been found to reduce blood pressure. It contains substances that inhibit a naturally-occurring enzyme that causes blood vessels to narrow and blood pressure to rise.

In studies undertaken by the Miyazaki Medical College and the Kurashiki University of Science and Arts in Japan, five patients with high blood pressure each took nattokinase equal to 200grams of natto for four days. In four out of the five volunteers, systolic blood pressure fell on average by almost 11 per cent and diastolic blood pressure dropped by an average of about 10 per cent (Maruyama M, Sumi H. Effect of Natto Diet on Blood Pressure. JTTAS 1995).

What to take for best results

The recommended dosage for nattokinase is one capsule in the morning, one capsule in the afternoon and two capsules at bedtime. The product may be taken with or without food.

Contraindications: Nattokinase should be avoided by those on blood thinning drugs and those with bleeding disorders.