The Superfood-Based Solution To Superior Heart Health

As superfoods go, you won’t find a food more powerful than natto. This Japanese fermented soybean dish boasts an impressive résumé of cardiovascular and circulatory benefits—and volumes of research have credited natto with everything from healthy blood clotting, to free-flowing, flexible arteries and healthy LDL cholesterol particles.

Unfortunately, however, you’re not likely to find natto stocked in your average Western kitchen… which means you’re even less likely to be able to eat enough of this natural powerhouse to get the best perks that it has to offer. That’s why you’ll be happy to hear that the tasteless, odorless and readily available supplement form of the enzyme nattokinase can be just as potent as its superfood namesake where the quest for good health is concerned.

Not only is nattokinase well-absorbed, our formula provides it in an enteric coating, which is resistant to stomach acid breakdown. Research shows that it also supports the activity of your body’s own enzymes when it comes to balancing clot-forming factors in your blood—in fact, studies indicate that solutions of nattokinase are capable of liquefying both new and old clotted blood overnight.^1-2 Animal research supports this role in the maintenance of healthy clotting mechanisms and optimal artery health, showing that nattokinase can enhance healthy blood flow by as much as 62 percent—while delivering significant improvements in health of the arterial lining in as little as three weeks.^3-4

Luckily, these research-supported benefits have been just as distinct in human subjects. Controlled trials have shown that both natto and its extract nattokinase can help support the body’s normal blood-clotting efficiency—while promoting the activity of natural fibrinolytic factors like tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) in the blood—in just over a week of supplementation.⁵

What’s more, nattokinase also seems to be able to put the brakes on LDL oxidation in animals. When free radicals encounter this LDL cholesterol, the radicals change it into a sticky form, spelling trouble for your arteries. But studies on rats have shown that just three weeks of natto supplementation may be enough to significantly reduce so-called “lipid peroxidation” in both the liver and the aorta—cementing nattokinase’s vital role in the maintenance of healthy LDL particles, which can then support optimal blood pressure, peak circulation and healthy arteries.^6-7 And the evidence for Natto’s healthy effects keeps piling up with a new study showing natto (as the food) along with viscous vegetables improved cholesterol balance and insulin efficiency in overweight people.⁸

You can find nattokinase combined with the potent blood-flow supporting enzyme serrapeptase in CP’s original circulation-boosting formula called Nattokinase+. Or, look to triple strength Natto 3x—also available from Complementary Prescriptions®—for the same powerful cardiovascular support in even fewer capsules per day.

References:

1. Yamashita T, Oda E, Giddings JC, Yamamoto J. The effect of dietary bacillus natto productive protein on in vivo endogenous thrombolysis. Pathophysiol Haemost Thromb. 2003 May-Jun;33(3):138-43.

2. Sumi H, Hamada H, Mihara H. A novel strong fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) in the vegetable cheese “natto.” Journal of Fibronolysis and Thrombolysis. Abstracts of the ninth international congress on fibrinolysis, Amsterdam. 1988;2,Sup.1:67.

3. Fujita M, Hong K, Ito Y, Fujii R, Kariya K, Nishimuro S. Biol Thrombolytic effect of nattokinase on a chemically induced thrombosis model in rat. Pharm Bull. 1995 Oct;18(10):1387-91.

4. Suzuki Y, Kondo K, Matsumoto Y, Zhao BO, Otsuguro K, Maeda T, Tsukamoto Y, Urano T, Umemura K. Dietary supplementation of fermented soybean, natto, suppresses intimal thickening and modulates the lysis of mural thrombi after endothelial injury in rat femoral artery. Life Sci. 2003 Jul 25;73(10):1289-98.

5. 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.

6. Iwai K, Nakaya N, Kawasaki Y, Matsue H.Antioxidative functions of natto, a kind of fermented soybeans: effect on LDL oxidation and lipid metabolism in cholesterol-fed rats. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Jun 5;50(12):3597-601.

7. Kim JY, Gum SN, Paik JK, Lim HH, Kim KC, Ogasawara K, Inoue K, Park S, Jang Y, Lee JH. Effects of nattokinase on blood pressure: a randomized, controlled trial. Hypertens Res. 2008 Aug;31(8):1583-8.

8. Taniguchi-Fukatsu A, Yamanaka-Okumura H, Naniwa-Kuroki Y, Nishida Y, Yamamoto H, Taketani Y, Takeda E. Natto and viscous vegetables in a Japanese-style breakfast improved insulin sensitivity, lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in overweight subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. Br J Nutr. 2011 Sep 7:1-8. Published Online Ahead of Print.