By Dr. Nicholas Calvino
Recently a new enzyme with potent fibrinolytic activity, that rivals
pharmaceutical agents, has been discovered and shows great potential in
providing support for hyper-coagulative states and in supporting the
activation of many of the bodies 3,000 endogenous enzymes. This all
natural enzyme, Nattokinase, is derived from fermented soy and the
bacteria Bacillus natto. Already, backed by strong and novel research,
Nattokinase shows promise in supporting areas such as cardiovascular
disease, stroke, angina, venous stasis, thrombosis, embolism,
atherosclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue,
retinal pathology, hemorrhoid, varicose veins, soft tissue rheumatism, muscle
spasm, poor healing, chronic inflammation and pain, peripheral vascular
disease, hypertension, tissue oxygen deprivation, infertility, and other
gynecology conditions (e.g. endometriosis, uterine fibroids).
There are three major groups of biological enzymes:
- Food Enzymes
- Digestive Enzymes
- Metabolic Enzymes.
In the past, the
therapeutic use of enzymes has largely focused on the use of digestive
enzymes. Digestive enzymes can be directly beneficial because they
assist in digestion, help regulate immune responses in the intestinal
tract, and relieve the body of its relative requirement of digestive
enzyme production, allowing for biological energy and resources to be
further allocated to the production of metabolic enzymes, indirectly.
Recently, however, a new enzyme has been isolated from a traditional
fermented Japanese food (although it is consumed by other cultures in
the same or similar forms), that appears to have metabolic effects and
to work directly in concert with the metabolic enzymes. This means that
it will complement the somewhat different digestive enzymes.
The name of this new enzyme is Nattokinase (meaning the enzyme from
Natto) and has been called, "The Enzyme of Enzymes” by its discoverer,
Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi. Natto has been used in Japanese culture for over 1000
years for its popular taste and as a folk remedy for heart and vascular
diseases, and now we know why: it contains Nattokinase, a very potent
fibrinolytic (breaks down fibrin, a blood clotting protein) enzyme,
which has shown remarkable ability to affect blood clotting and a
possible ability to regulate and activate various other metabolic
enzymes. Natto is produced by a fermentation process by adding Bacillus
natto, a beneficial bacterium, to boiled soybeans. The resulting
nattokinase enzyme, is produced when Bacillus natto acts on the
soybeans. Nattokinase has been the subject of 17 studies, including two
small human trials. While other soy foods contain enzymes, it is only
the natto preparation that contains the specific nattokinase enzyme.
Nattokinase & Fibrin
Fibrin is a protein that when activated forms fibrinogen, which is
responsible for blood clotting. This is an important and protective
mechanism that protects the body from excessive bleeding, say, when you
cut yourself. However, in many instances, this process becomes
over-activated or becomes "stuck” in high gear. This irregular clotting
has been implicated in a variety of serious health conditions, namely,
cardiovascular disease. The magnificent thing about Nattokinase is that
it appears to have many, if not most, of the benefits of pharmaceutical
agents designed to regulate blood clotting (e.g. Warfarin, Heparin,
t-PA, Urokinase, etc), without any of the side effects of these
medications. Furthermore, while these medications have to be injected
and only provide a very brief time of benefit (a few hours), Nattokinase
is effective when taken orally and its benefits linger many times
longer. Standard doses of Nattokinase vary from 250-1,000 mg and
positive effects can be seen with as little as 50 mg.
Blood clots form when strands of protein called fibrin accumulate in a
blood vessel. In the heart, blood clots cause blockage of blood flow to
muscle tissue. If blood flow is blocked, the oxygen supply to that
tissue is cut off and it eventually dies. This can result in angina and
heart attacks. Clots in chambers of the heart can mobilize to the brain.
In the brain, blood clots also block blood and oxygen from reaching
necessary areas, which can result in senility and/or stroke.
Fibrinolytic enzymes are normally generated in the cells of the blood
vessels. As the body ages, production of these enzymes begins to
decline, making blood more prone to coagulation. Since these 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 clotting prone conditions virtually anywhere in the body.
Researchers from Biotechnology Research Laboratories and JCR
Pharmaceuticals Co. of Kobe, Japan, tested Nattokinase’s ability to
dissolve a thrombus in the carotid arteries of rats. Animals treated
with Nattokinase regained 62 percent of blood flow, whereas those
treated with plasmin regained just 15.8 percent of blood flow.
Researchers from JCR Pharmaceuticals, Oklahoma State University, and
Miyazaki Medical College tested nattokinase on 12 healthy Japanese
volunteers (6 men and 6 women, between the ages of 21 and 55). They gave
the volunteers 200 grams of natto (the food) before breakfast, and then
tracked fibrinolytic activity through a series of blood plasma tests.
The tests indicated that the natto generated 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 2 to 8 hours. As a control, researchers later
fed the same amount of boiled soybeans to the same volunteers and
tracked their fibrinolytic activity. The tests showed no significant
change.
Nattokinase appears to have the added benefit of significantly reducing
elevated blood pressure (an often concomitant condition in
cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as high fibrin). Nattokinase
appears to be safe, and has been used for over 1,000 years safely with
no reports of toxicity. Various other nutritional supplements / herbs
have been reported to have fibronlytic activity; however, the potency of
Nattokinase appears to be superior. Furthermore, Nattokinase also
appears to be an activator of various other metabolic enzymes and
vitamins, cleaving them from their inactive to their active forms. The
strength and magnitude of this direct support for the metabolic enzymes
of the body, from an oral enzyme supplement, is unique to Nattokinase
and shows great promise as a nutritional supportive agent in exciting
and diverse ways.
*This information is for educational purpose only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease.
