Taking nattokinase along with medications that also slow blood clotting may increase the risk of bruising and bleeding. Tell your doctor about any supplement you are taking, even if it's natural. That way, the doctor can check for possible side effects or drug interactions. More studies are needed to determine if nattokinase taken as a supplement is safe for repeated or long-term use.
Small short-term trials evaluating nattokinase reported no adverse reactions. There is a theoretical risk of bleeding, according to a case report of acute cerebellar bleeding in a patient with a history of ischemic stroke. Thrombosis was reported following the replacement of warfarin with nattokinase in a patient with a mechanical aortic valve. Rare cases of late-onset anaphylaxis with natto have been attributed to poly gamma-glutamic acid, a product of the fermentation process that may be present in nattokinase supplements.
This information does not guarantee that this product is safe, effective, or approved to treat any patient or health condition. Effects of nattokinase, a profibrinolytic enzyme, on red blood cell aggregation and whole blood viscosity. He indicated that active centers are generally negatively charged, suggesting that NK is more specific to positively charged substrates. The most important effects occurred at an early time (within 2 to 4 hours) and diminished over time, possibly due to the relatively low, reversible binding affinity between these two drugs, which modified the lytic efficacy of nattokinase.
Dietary supplementation with nattokinase suppressed intimate thickening, modulated wall thrombus lysis, and improved arterial blood flow more effectively than plasmin and elastase. Similar synergistic anticoagulant effects were observed on the coagulation time of the combination, going from a baseline rate of 41 seconds to approximately 175, 207, and 510 seconds with nattokinase alone, heparin alone, and the combination, respectively. Unlike common fibrinolytic proteases, such as tPA and uPA, which can cause a variety of side effects, such as bleeding, NK has few or no side effects. Soy formulations, such as milk, powder, or soy flour, are regularly given to infants with few or no side effects.
Nattokinase combined with red yeast rice, but not nattokinase alone, has potent effects on blood lipids in human subjects with hyperlipidemia. Nattokinase has pharmacological effects that may increase the risk of bleeding when administered with anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents. The nattokinase peptide fragments reduced plasma angiotensin II but had no effect on renin or ACE activity. An open-label trial evaluated the effect of oral nattokinase capsules administered for 2 months in healthy subjects or in patients with cardiovascular risk factors or on dialysis.
While no adverse side effects from NK consumption have been observed in several human trials, including clinical trials, the safety profile of NK still needs to be thoroughly addressed, including the effects of repeated doses, acute toxicity, and genotoxicity. Nattokinase enhances the preventive effects of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 on dextran-induced sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice. The FDA has not reviewed this product to determine if it is safe or effective, and it is not subject to the quality standards or safety information-gathering standards that apply to most prescription drugs.
