Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Nattokinase and Blood Pressure


Nattokinase is a supplement that is readily available in most health food stores, and recently has been recommended by natural healthcare practitioners to help control high blood pressure.  As with any over-the-counter medication, consumers need to understand not only if a product really works, but how it works, and if there are side effects to watch for.  Because the FDA does not regulate non-prescription supplements, caution must be used before purchasing over-the-counter medications.   Fortunately, nattokinase is a supplement that has been involved in many research studies in several countries with positive results on lowering blood pressure.

What is nattokinase

Nattokinase is an enzyme that is a product of the fermentation of a soy product called natto.  Japanese have consumed natto for centuries, but only realized the positive effects on their heart and circulatory systems when Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi, in 1980, discovered the positive effects of nattokinase on the circulatory system while studying 150 different foods in a Chicago-based research study.

Research of nattokinase and blood pressure

The first official study completed on nattokinase and blood pressure was conducted in 1995.  Researches from Miyazaki Medical College and Kurashiki University of Science and Arts in Japan studied the effects of nattokinase on blood pressure- first in animals, and then in humans.  Initially, male rats were given a single dose of nattokinase.  The results were that most of the rats showed a 12 % drop in systolic blood pressure after two hours.  After the positive effects of nattokinase in rats, the research team gave 30 grams of lyophilized extract (best nattokinase) to human volunteers who had existing high blood pressure.  Most of the people studied had a drop of 10% in their blood pressure within two hours!  Many more studies have had positive results of nattokinase on blood pressure, including one in 1998 conducted in Yonsei University Research Institute of Science for Aging in Seoul, Korea.  This study was done with 89 humans from ages 29 to 89 that had existing high blood pressure.  The results of the research proved that most of the people taking nattokinase had a marked improvement in their blood pressure while those taking placebos had no changes. 

Is nattokinase safe?

You should consult your physician before beginning any supplement to be sure you are not using a substance that could interact with another medication you are taking.  Nattokinase does help dissolve blood clots, and should not be taken with pharmaceutical blood-thinning medications such as Coumadin.
The safety of any non-regulated supplement can depend on many factors such as quality of ingredients used, number of fillers in the capsule, and proper labeling of bottles.  Nattobiotic is a product developed using raw nattokinase, and is manufactured by a company who prides itself in providing only the best nattokinase available.  The ingredients in Nattobiotic are superior to anything else available on the market, and are manufactured in a tightly-controlled, GMP facility. Supplying superior products while maintaining the safety of the consumer is the motto built into every bottle of Nattobiotic

No comments:

Post a Comment