| | | The Science Behind Nattokinase | The Science Behind Nattokinase
The vegetable cheese-like food, Natto, is extremely popular in Japan, with a history of more than 1,000 years. It has become clear in the past 25 years that consumption of this fermented soybean curd provides a tremendous health benefit as a remedy for vascular diseases.
In 1980, Dr. Hirouki Sumi at the University of Chicago Medical School discovered an enzyme, which he named Nattokinase, to be the main ingredient in Natto that is responsible for these benefits.
Dr. Sumi found that the cardiovascular benefits of Nattokinase derived from its ability to prevent clots from forming and also to dissolve clots that had already formed. We now know that Nattokinase helps restore healthy circulation to diseased blood vessels by reducing the level of fibrin, the protein that accumulates inside blood vessels and eventually clogs them. Until the discovery of Nattokinase, we really didn't have any natural solution to remove blood clots and dissolve fibrin. This enzyme has emerged as one of the most exciting and significant new breakthroughs in recent memory.
Boosting Your Body’s Natural Clot-Busting Action
Your body normally produces and enzyme called plasmin and other anti-clotting agents that are supposed to keep your arteries clear of bloods clots. However, as you age, the action of plasmin and its helpers weaken, allowing fibrin to build up and clots to grow. The properties of Nattokinase closely resemble those of plasmin. What makes Nattokinase a particularly potent treatment, according to Dr. Martin Milner, from the Center for Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, is that it enhances the body's natural ability to fight blood clots in several different ways. It dissolves fibrin directly, it enhances the body's production of plasmin, and it boosts other clot-dissolving agents. In addition, Nattokinase has a prolonged action, lasting from 8 to 12 hours, in contrast with short-acting anti-clot drugs.
Animal and Human Studies:
Nattokinase has been the subject of numerous studies. Some of the most significant results have been:
1.Blood clots that were induced in dogs disappeared within five hours of treatment with Nattokinase; clots in dogs who received placebo showed no signs of dissolving within 18 hours.
2. Rats with arterial clots regained 62 percent of blood flow after treatment with Nattokinase, compared with rats who regained 15.8 percent of blood flow after treatment with plasmin.
3. Human volunteers in one study consumed Natto, after which their average time to dissolve clots dropped by 48% compared with controls; this enhanced ability to dissolve blood clots lasted for up to 8 hours.
4. Blood pressure in rats treated with a Natto extract dropped an average of 12.7 percent within two hours.
5. After consuming a standardized Natto extract for four days, human volunteers with high blood pressure showed a 10.9 percent drop in systolic blood pressure and a 9.7 percent drop in diastolic blood pressure.
6. In a study of rats whose artery walls were experimentally damaged to simulate normal injury, the usual wall thickening that leads to clogging of the arteries was suppressed by treatment with Natto extract.
7. Volunteers who were at high risk for deep vein clotting during long flights were given a Nattokinase product before their flights. The pre-flight use of Nattokinase was effective in preventing clotting and in reducing swelling of lower limbs.
Who Can Benefit from Nattokinase?
The accumulation of excess fibrin in arteries and organs and almost anywhere in the body that inflammation occurs is a fact of life. The latest research shows that clotting in blood vessels of the brain may be even a cause of dementia, which has previously been thought of as only a neurological disorder. Diabetes, high blood pressure, hemorrhoids, and organ failure of all kinds most likely have a clotting condition.
Numerous researchers and Naturopath Doctors now recognize that excess fibrin causes shrinking and hardening of organs, calls anti-fibrin (fibrinolytic) enzymes such as Nattokinase a valuable tool in anti-aging. The bottom line is that anyone who seeks optimum health will benefit from a daily regimen that includes Nattokinase.
Dr. Dennis Clark, Ph.D., is a research scientist and former professor, with 30 years of experience on the faculty of Arizona State University, including research appointments at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and the University of California at Riverside. He is currently an adjunct faculty member of the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. He has taught classes in plant biochemistry, medical botany, integrative medicine, and ethnopharmacology.
Dr. Clark is a Member of the Landis Revin Advisory Board
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