Nattokinase
Cardiac Enzyme for Cardiovascular Benefits
120 Count per bottle/1500 FU per serving

Suggested Retail Price: $37.75
Introductory Sale Price: $26.99

Supplement Facts

Serving Size: 2 Tablets
Servings Per Container: 60

Nattokinase providing 1,500 FU per serving (20,000 FU/gm) 75mg*

Rutin bioflavonoid Complex (Vitamin P) 100mg*

* Daily value not established.

Other Ingredients: Plant Fiber, Modified Cellulose Gum, Colloidal Silica, Vegetable Magnesium Stearate, Vegetable Stearic Acid, Titanium Dioxide and pH-Resistant Enteric Coating.

The Benefits of Nattokinase on Blood Pressure

In Japan Natto cheese traditionally has not only been consumed for cardiovascular support, but to lower blood pressure as well. Recent studies have confirmed Japan's tradition usage of the Nattokinase enzyme in Natto. Researchers at the Miyazaki Medical College and Kurashiki University of Science and Arts in Japan studied the effects of nattokinase on blood pressure in 1995 in both human and animal subjects. The researchers confirmed the presence of inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme [ACE], which converts angiotensin 1 to its "active" form angiotensin 2 within the test extract. This consisted of 80% ethanol extract of lyophilized viscous materials of natto. ACE causes blood vessels to narrow and blood pressure to rise - by inhibiting ACE, nattokinase has a lowering effect on blood pressure!

Research In The United States

Dr. Martin Milner, at the Center for Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, and Dr. Kouhei Makise of the Imadeqawa Makise Clinica in Kyoto, Japan, were launched a joint research project on nattokinase and wrote a comprehensive paper on their research results. - "In all my years of research as a professor of cardiovascular and pulmonary medicine, natto and nattokinase represents the most exciting new development in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular related diseases," Dr. Milner said. "We have finally found a potent natural agent that can thin and dissolve clots effectively, with relative safety and without side effects."

Research and Scientific Studies - Animal and Human

Animal Studies

Nattokinase has been the subject of 17 studies, including two small human trials. Dr. Sumi and his colleagues researched the effects on male dogs with blood clots receiving real natto enzyme and placebo. Angiograms, or X-ray of blood vessels, concluded that the male dogs who received nattokinase regained normal blood circulation, sometimes within five hours of treatment. The blood clots in dogs who received placebo treatment showed no sign of dissolving within eighteen hours following treatment. Scientific researchers from Biotechnology Research Laboratories, and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. of Kobe, Japan, tested nattokinase's ability to dissolve a thrombus in the carotid arteries in rats. Animals treated with nattokinase regained 62% of blood flow, but those animals treated with plasmin regained just 15.8% of blood flow.

After one intra-peritoneal administration of 400 - 450 grams of the test extract [equivalent to 25 mg of natto food] was given to male Wister rats, systolic blood pressure [SBP] significantly decreased from 166 + mmHg to 145 + 24 mmHg in just two hours [p<0.05]. It continued to decrease further to 144 + 27 mmHg in 3 hours [p<0.05]. Median data represents a 12.7 percent drop in SBP within two hours!

Human Studies

The same test extract was tested on human volunteers with high blood pressure. The human Blood Pressure Levels were measured after 30 grams of lyophilized extract [equivalent to 200 grams of natto food] and was administered by mouth for four consecutive days. In four out of five volunteers, the systolic blood pressure [SBP] lowered, on average, from 173.8 + 20.5 mmHg - to 154.8 + 12.6 mmHg. Diastolic blood pressure [DBP] lowered on average from 101.0 + 11.4 mmHg to 91.2 + 6.6 mmHg! Median data for this nattokinase study represents a 10.9 percent drop in SBP and a 9.7 percent drop in DBP!

Scientists from J.C.R. Pharmaceuticals, Oklahoma State University, and Miyazaki Medical College, tested nattokinase on 12 healthy Japanese volunteers [six men and six women between the age of 21 and 55]. They gave the men and women two hundred grams of natto food right before their first meal, then they tracked the fibrinolytic activity through different series of blood plasma tests. The blood plasma tests showed that the natto generated a heightened ability to dissolve blood clots. The volunteers' average ELT [the measure of how long it takes to dissolve a blood clot] dropped by 48% within 2 hours of treatment! Volunteers retained an enhanced ability to dissolve blood clots for two - eight hours. Later, as a control the scientists fed the same amount of soybeans (boiled) to the same volunteers and tracked the fibrinolytic activity. The later tests showed no significant changes from the first findings.

Understanding Thrombus

Our human body produces many different types of enzymes that will produce thrombus (A blood clot that obstructs a blood vessel or a cavity of the heart) but only one main enzyme that will break it down and dissolve it, plasmin. The properties of nattokinase closely resemble plasmin. According to Dr. Martin Milner, from the Center for Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, the thing that makes nattokinase so potent an enzyme, is that this particular enzyme enhances your body's natural ability to fight blood clot(s) (thrombus) in several different ways. Because it resembles plasmin so closely, it dissolves fibrin. Additionally, it enhances your body's production of both plasmin AND other clot dissolving agents, including urokinase. "In some ways," Milner says, "nattokinase is actually superior to conventional clot-dissolving drugs. T-PAs (tissue plasminogen activators) like urokinase (the drug), are only effective when taken intravenously and often fail simply because a stroke or heart attack victim's arteries have hardened beyond the point where they can be treated by any other clot-dissolving agent. Nattokinase, however, can help prevent that hardening with an oral dose of as little as 100 mg a day."

How Nattokinase takes action

Nattokinase produces a prolonged action in the body [unlike anti-thrombin drugs, these will wear off shortly when I.V. treatment is discontinued] in 2 ways - it prevents the coagulation of blood, and dissolves any existing thrombus. Both efficacy and prolonged action of nattokinase can be determined by measuring levels of EFA [euglobulin fibrinolytic activity[ and FDP [fibrin degradation products] which both become elevated when fibrin is being dissolved. When you measure EFA and FDP levels activity of nattokinase has been determined to last from 8 to 12 hours. Additionally, a parameter of confirming the action of the enzyme following oral administration is a rise in blood levels of TPA antigen, [tissue plasminogen activator] which indicates the release of tissue plasminogen activators from the endothelial cells and / or the liver.

Mechanisms behind Thrombus

These thrombi, or blood clots, form when the strands of protein called fibrin build up in the blood vessels. In the heart blood clots cause a blockage of the blood flow to our muscle tissue. If the blood flow is blocked our oxygen supply to that muscle tissue is cut off and it will eventually die. This is what can result in angina and heart attacks. Blood clots in the chambers of our heart can demobilize the brain. In our brain blood clots can also block oxygen and blood from reaching necessary areas, which can result in stroke or senility.

Thrombolytic enzymes normally are generated in "endothelial" cells in the blood vessels, but as the body ages, production of the enzymes begins to decline and the blood becomes more prone to coagulation. Unfortunately this can lead to cardiac or cerebral dysfunction, as well as other serious conditions. Since endothelial cells exist throughout the bodies blood vessels, like in our veins, arteries, and lymphatic system, lowered production of thrombolytic enzymes can lead to the development of conditions almost anywhere in our body.

Recently it has been discovered that the cerebral blood clotting may be a cause of dementia. It has been estimated in Japan that 60% of senile dementia patients condition is caused by thrombus. Thrombotic diseases include cerebral hemorrhaging, cerebral infarction, cardiac infarction and angina, and include disease caused by blood vessels with even minimal clotting, including dementia and diabetes [sometimes caused by pancreatic dysfunction]. Hemorrhoids are considered a "local" thrombotic condition. If chronic capillary diseases are also considered than the number of thrombus related conditions can be much higher. Cardiac patients thrombolytic enzymes may be weaker than their coagulant enzymes.

Nattokinase holds great potential to help support patients with such deficiencies in a natural, cost efficient, convenient and consistent manner, without side effects. Nattokinase can potently and directly decompose fibrin as well as activate pro-urokinase!

Other Nattokinase References:

References 1. Prevent Heart Attack and Stroke with Potent Enzyme that Dissolves Deadly Blood Clots in Hours. Health Sciences Institute, March 2002.2. Maruyama M, Sumi H. Effect of Natto Diet on Blood Pressure. JTTAS, 1995.3. Sumi H, Hamada H, Nakanishi K, Hiratani H. Enhancement of the fibrinolytic activity in plasma by oral administration of nattokinase. Acta Haematol 1990;84(3):139-43.4. Sumi H, Hamada H, Mihara H. A novel strong fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) in the vegetable cheese "natto." International 5. Journal of Fibronolysis and Thrombolysis. Abstracts of the ninth international congress on fibrinolysis, Amsterdam, 1988, Vol.2, Sup.1:67.5. Sumi H, Hamada H, Tsushima H, Mihara H, Muraki H. A novel fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) in the vegetable cheese Natto; a typical and popular soybean food in the Japanese diet. Experientia 1987, Oct 15;43(10):1110-1.6. Sumi H. Healthy Microbe "Bacillus natto". Japan Bio Science Laboratory Co. Ltd.7. Sumi H. Interview With Doctor of Medicine Hiroyuki Sumi. Japan Bio Science Laboratory Co. Ltd.8. Sumi H. Structure and Fibronolytic Properties of Nattokinase. Selected Abstracts:Potent fibrinolytic enzyme from a mutant of Bacillus subtilis IMR-NK1.Chang CT, Fan MH, Kuo FC, Sung HY.J Agric Food Chem 2000 Aug;48(8):3210-6Department of Food and Nutrition, Providence University, Shalu, Taiwan, Republic of China. A mutant of Bacillus subtilis IMR-NK1, which is used for the production of domestic "natto" in Taiwan, produced high fibrinolytic enzyme activity by solid-state fermentation using wheat bran as medium. Purification and characterization of a fibrinolytic enzyme produced from Bacillus sp. strain CK 11-4 screened from Chungkook-Jang.Kim W, Choir K, Kim Y, Park H, Choi J, Lee Y, Oh H, Kwon I, Lee S.Appl Environ Microbiol 1996 Jul;62(7):2482-8Department of Biotechnology, Institute of R & D, Yangpyung-Dong, Youngdeungpo-Gu, Seoul, (South) Korea. bio00@bora.dacom.co.kr Bacillus sp. strain CK 11-4, which produces a strongly fibrinolytic enzyme, was screened from Chungkook-Jang, a traditional Korean fermented-soybean sauce. The fibrinolytic enzyme (CK) was purified from supernatant of Bacillus sp. strain CK 11-4 culture broth and showed thermophilic, hydrophilic, and strong fibrinolytic activity.Thrombolytic effect of nattokinase on a chemically induced thrombosis model in rat. Fujita M, Hong K, Ito Y, Fujii R, Kariya K, Nishimuro S.Biol Pharm Bull 1995 Oct;18(10):1387-91Biotechnology Research Laboratories, JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Kobe, Japan. Nattokinase is a new fibrinolytic enzyme which cleaves directly cross-linked fibrin in vitro. In this study, we investigated the thrombolytic effect of nattokinase on a thrombus in the common carotid artery of rat in which the endothelial cells of the vessel wall were injured by acetic acid. When a section of occluded vessel was stained for CD61 antigen by immunofluorescence utilizing a monoclonal antibody, the antigen was localized around the surface of the occluded blood vessels. This result suggests that the occlusive thrombosis was caused by platelet aggregation. In addition, thrombolysis with urokinase (UK; 50000 IU/kg, i.v.) or tissue plasminogen activator (tPA; 13300 IU/kg, i.v.) in our model was observed to restore the blood flow over a 60 min monitoring period. The results indicate that our chemically induced model is useful for screening and evaluating a thrombolytic agent. We evaluated the thrombolytic activity of nattokinase using this model and compared it with fibrino(geno)lytic enzyme, plasmin or elastase. On a molar basis, the recovery of the arterial blood flow with nattokinase, plasmin and elastase were 62.0 +/- 5.3%, 15.8 +/- 0.7% and 0%, respectively. The results indicate that the thrombolytic activity of nattokinase is stronger than that of plasmin or elastase in vivo. Transport of nattokinase across the rat intestinal tract. Fujita M, Hong K, Ito Y, Misawa S, Takeuchi N, Kariya K, Nishimuro S.Biol Pharm Bull 1995 Sep;18(9):1194-6Biotechnology Research Laboratories, JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Kobe, Japan.Intraduodenal administration of nattokinase (NK) at a dose of 80 mg/kg, resulted in the degradation of fibrinogen in plasma suggesting transport of NK across the intestinal tract in normal rats. The action of NK on the cleavage of fibrinogen in the plasma from blood samples drawn at intervals after intraduodenal administration of the enzyme was investigated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting analysis with an anti-fibrinogen gamma chain antibody. In parallel with the degradation process, plasma recalcification times were remarkably prolonged NK was also detected in the plasma from blood samples drawn 3 and 5 h after administration of the enzyme by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis with an anti-NK antibody. The results indicate that NK is absorbed from the rat intestinal tract and that NK cleaves fibrinogen in plasma after intraduodenal administration of the enzyme. Purification and characterization of a strong fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) in the vegetable cheese natto, a popular soybean fermented food in Japan. Fujita M, Nomura K, Hong K, Ito Y, Asada A, Nishimuro S. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1993 Dec 30;197(3):1340-7Biotechnology Research Laboratories, JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Kobe, Japan. A strong fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) was purified from the vegetable cheese natto. Nattokinase was extracted from natto with saline and isolated by sequential use of hydrophobic chromatography. The isolated protein gave a single sharp band on SDS-PAGE either before or after reduction. The sequence, as determined by automated Edman degradation of the uncleaved molecule and its enzymatically derived peptide, consisted of a total 275 amino acid residues (M.W = 27,728) and exhibited a high homology with the subtilisins.Enhancement of the fibrinolytic activity in plasma by oral administration of nattokinase.Sumi H, Hamada H, Nakanishi K, Hiratani H.Acta Haematol 1990;84(3):139-43Department of Physiology, Miyazaki Medical College, Japan.The existence of a potent fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase, NK) in the traditional fermented food called 'natto', was reported by us previously. It was confirmed that oral administration of NK (or natto) produced a mild and frequent enhancement of the fibrinolytic activity in the plasma, as indicated by the fibrinolytic parameters, and the production of tissue plasminogen activator. NK capsules were also administered orally to dogs with experimentally induced thrombosis, and lysis of the thrombi was observed by angiography. The results obtained suggest that NK represents a possible compound for use not only in the treatment of embolism but also in the prevention of the disease, since NK has a proven safety and can be massproduced. A novel fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) in the vegetable cheese Natto; a typical and popular soybean food in the Japanese diet.Sumi H, Hamada H, Tsushima H, Mihara H, Muraki H. Experientia 1987 Oct 15;43(10):1110-1Department of Physiology, Miyazaki Medical College, Japan. A strong fibrinolytic activity was demonstrated in the vegetable cheese Natto, which is a typical soybean food eaten in Japan. The average activity was calculated at about 40 CU (plasmin units)/g wet weight. This novel fibrinolytic enzyme, named nattokinase, was easily extracted with saline. Nattokinase not only digested fibrin but also the plasmin substrate H-D-Val-Leu-Lys-pNA (S-2251).