It has been consumed in Japan for hundreds of years.
Nattokinase
is possibly safe when taken as a medicine. Nattokinase supplementation for up to 3 years appears to be safe. There is some preliminary evidence that nattokinase may have benefits for heart and artery health.A study shows that a nattokinase supplement reduces the risk of blood clots after long plane flights. It can help reduce the narrowing of the arteries. Nattokinase can help prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure, and play a role in treating Alzheimer's disease. Nattokinase is most commonly used for. Nattokinase is one of the many enzymes derived from the food product Nattō (boiled soybeans fermented by the bacteria Bacillus subtilis) and seems to have some direct fibrinolytic activity (fibrin degradation).
It's thought to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, but it hasn't been researched enough. Nattokinase is the most used for nattokinase, one of the many enzymes isolated from the fermented food product known as Nattō (cooked soybeans specifically fermented with the bacteria Bacillus subtilis) and was originally thought to be a kinase, hence its name. It is a serine protease from the subtilisin class by its technical name, and is used as a health supplement due to its “fibrinolytic” properties (it is capable of enzymatically degrading fibrin, which is believed to reduce cardiovascular events by preventing thrombus formation and subsequent blood clotting).The enzyme appears to be active after ingestion, although it is not known if it is directly active. In vitro experiments (experiments performed outside a living organism) suggest that nattokinase directly digests fibrin, and in some interventions, oral ingestion of nattokinase has been shown to reduce thrombus formation.
Nattokinase can be metabolized into bioactive peptides that also induce a factor (tissue plasminogen activator) that can subsequently also have fibrinolytic effects, so that, although the overall effect (fibrinolysis causes less clotting potential) seems to exist, the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Nattokinase degradation products, after destruction by heat or acid, are bioactive peptides that can also lower blood pressure by reducing renin activity and angiotension II. With regard to the effect on triglycerides and cholesterol, nattokinase and its bioactive peptides all appear to be totally inactive. When analyzing research on human intervention, there appears to be a mild blood pressure lowering effect associated with nattokinase supplementation. While there is limited evidence to support fibrinolytic effects in humans after oral consumption, trials in which nattokinase was used in isolation have limited statistical power or where nattokinase was used with other drugs (the most convincing study currently used pyknogenol together with nattokinase).
In general, although the enzymatic activity and pharmacodynamics of nattokinase are novel, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of nattokinase over other pharmacological or complementary options. Especially with regard to the use of an agent as a prophylactic, aspirin is much more researched and there is no comparative evidence at this time comparing nattokinase with such a reference drug. There is not enough evidence to indicate the optimal dose of oral nattokinase, but human studies tend to use around 500 mg or 5000 UF (fibrinolysis units) per day, usually divided into two separate doses taken with meals. Natto can be used on its own, and some anticoagulant effects have been observed with 12 g of nattō daily for 2 weeks. To safely take natural medicines, including nattokinase, report to your healthcare provider and pharmacist about any changes in medication.
Dietary supplements are not regulated like drugs in the United States, which means that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve their safety and efficacy before the products are marketed. However, even if supplements are tested by third parties, that doesn't mean they're necessarily safe for everyone or effective in general. Because of the lack of safety testing, doctors do not recommend nattokinase to children or to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Before taking nattokinase, contact your pharmacist or healthcare provider for help with safely achieve your health goals.
Regulations set manufacturing standards for them, but they don't guarantee that they are safe or effective. If you have a blood clotting disorder, don't take nattokinase supplements unless your doctor tells you they're safe. There is no safe and effective dose of nattokinase because no studies have been conducted with sufficient potency to find it. More studies are needed to determine if nattokinase taken as a supplement is safe for repeated use.
or in the long term. More high-quality research is needed with larger, well-designed clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nattokinase.
