Nattokinase and Cardiovascular Health
Blood is Thicker than Water
By Ralph E. Holsworth, Jr., D.O.
Dr. Holsworth, a practicing physician and Chief of Staff for a
leading Colorado hospital, is also a world-leading expert in
enzymes. His research is focused on Nattokinase, a bacterially
fermented soy that has been clinically shown to dissolve and prevent
the formation of blood clots, improve blood viscosity (thickness)
and increase vascular flexibility. According to Dr. Holsworth,
‘Nattokinase may change the way we treat heart disease. It has the
ability to greatly reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke and
possibly eliminate the need for heart and bypass surgery.’ CNR
believes the following article by Dr. Holsworth is one of the most
important articles we’ve had the opportunity to publish.
Julie Monroe – CNR
 Fibrin is a protein that forms in the blood after trauma or injury.
This is essential to stop excess blood loss. There are more than
twenty enzymes in the body that assist in clotting the blood, while
only one that can break the clot down (plasmin). Bacteria, viruses,
fungi and toxins present in the blood also trigger an inflammatory
condition resulting in excess cross-linked fibrin. Since there is no
danger of blood loss and trauma has not occurred, this cross-linked
fibrin will circulate through the blood and will stick to the walls of
blood vessels. This contributes to the formation of blood clots, slows
blood flow and increases blood viscosity contributing to the elevation
of blood pressure. In the heart, blood clots cause blockage of blood
flow to heart muscle tissue. If blood flow is blocked, the oxygen
supply to that tissue is partially cut off (ischemia) which results in
angina and heart attacks, or if prolonged, death of heart muscle
(necrosis). Clots in chambers of the heart can mobilize to the brain,
blocking blood and oxygen from reaching necessary areas, which can
result in senility and/or stroke.
Thrombolytic enzymes (enzymes that break down blood clots) are
normally generated in the endothelial cells of the blood vessels. As
the body ages, production of these enzymes begins to decline, making
blood more prone to coagulation. This mechanism can lead to cardiac or
cerebral infarction, as well as other conditions. Since endothelial
cells exist throughout the body, such as in the arteries, veins and
lymphatic system, poor production of thrombolytic enzymes can lead to
the development of blood clots and the conditions caused by them,
virtually anywhere in the body.
Discovery of a Fibrinolytic Enzyme
Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi, M.D. (aka Dr. Natto) a researcher of the Japan
Ministry of Education and majoring in the physiological chemistry at
the blood laboratory of the University of Chicago, had long researched
thrombolytic enzymes. He was searching for a natural agent that could
successfully dissolve thrombus associated with cardiac and cerebral
infarction (blood clots associated with heart attacks and stroke). One
day in 1980 Dr. Sumi took the natto (the third most popular type of
fermented soybean in the Japanese diet) that he was eating for lunch
and dropped a small portion into the artificial thrombus (fibrin)
plate. The natto gradually dissolved the thrombus and had completely
resolved it in 18 hours! Dr. Sumi found that the sticky part of natto,
commonly called “threads”, exhibited a strong fibrinolytic (“blood
clot busting”) activity. He named the corresponding fibrinolytic
enzyme “nattokinase”. Dr. Sumi commented that nattokinase showed “a
potency matched by no other enzyme.”
Dr. Sumi conducted research on about 200 kinds of food from all
over the world, and he found that natto had the highest fibrinolytic
(“blood clot busting”) activity among all those foods. There are many
traditional foods for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis
(e.g., azuki beans, Korean ginseng, Japanese water dropwort) but most
of these foods inhibit platelet aggregation similar to aspirin. Only
nattokinase acts on the fibrinolytic system to dissolve thrombi within
the blood vessels.
The Proof is in the Pudding
Nattokinase has been the subject of 17 studies, including two small
human trials. Some results of the studies included:
• Dogs who received nattokinase regained normal blood circulation
(free of the clot) within five hours of treatment, whereas the blood
clots in dogs who received only placebo showed no sign of dissolving
in the 18 hours following treatment.
• Animals treated with nattokinase regained 62 percent of blood flow,
whereas those treated with plasmin regained just 15.8 percent of blood
flow.
• Human volunteers who received 200 grams of natto before breakfast
showed a heightened ability to dissolve blood clots. On average, the
volunteers’ ELT (a measure of how long it takes to dissolve a blood
clot) dropped by 48 percent within two hours of treatment, and
volunteers retained an enhanced ability to dissolve blood clots for
two to eight hours.
• When nattokinase therapy is used with patients who become blind
after a blood clot hinders blood flow and weakens the ophthalmic
nerve, they regain their eyesight within 10 days and no abnormalities
are observed after two months.
Conclusion
Nattokinase is a particularly potent treatment because it enhances
the body’s natural ability to fight blood clots in several different
ways and has many benefits including convenience of oral
administration, confirmed efficacy, prolonged effects, cost
effectiveness, and can be used preventatively. It is a naturally
occurring, food dietary supplement that has demonstrated stability in
the gastro-intestinal tract.
The properties of nattokinase closely resemble those properties of
plasmin so it dissolves fibrin directly! More importantly, it also
enhances the body’s production of both plasmin and other
clot-dissolving agents, including urokinase (endogenous). Nattokinase
may actually be superior to conventional clot-dissolving drugs such as
recombinant tissue plasminogen activators (rt-PA), urokinase, and
streptokinase, which are only effective therapeutically when taken
intravenously within 12 hours of a stroke or heart attack. Nattokinase,
however, may help prevent the conditions leading to blood clots with
an oral daily dose of as little as 2,000 fibrin units (FU) or 50 grams
of natto.
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