Nattokinase – The Secret To Japanese Longevity
Nattokinase is an anti-blood clotting enzyme found in a traditional Japanese food called “NATTO.”
It is only during the fermentation process that natto produces specific nattokinase-a protease enzyme. Nattokinase is a 275 amino acid peptide and is used for the fibrinolytic activity, and valued in the alternative medicine community as a clot-buster and blood thinner, and is sometimes recommended as a substitute for daily aspirin therapy. Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi who discovered the enzyme-labeled it the Enzyme of Enzymes, because of its wide-reaching health properties.
History of Nattokinase Use
In the 17th century, a warrior from Japan named Minamoto no Yoshiie discovered that boiled soybeans left on straw had fermented. This eventually led to Natto’s discovery. Doctor Sumi exposed nattokinase during the 1980’s when he was majoring in physiological chemistry at Chicago University Medical School and working as a researcher. During his testing and research to find thrombolytic agents, he tested over 173 organic foods and ultimately discovered nattokinase when he chemically added natto to a synthetic form of thrombus (also known as fibrin) in a Petri test dish. After allowing it to set at 37°C, which is the natural human body temperature, the synthetic thrombus disbanded steadily and fully dissolved after 18 hours. This was when Doctor Sumi discovered the term “nattokinase.” Furthermore, the term nattokinase means “enzyme in natto.” After all, was said and done, Doctor Sumi stated that nattokinase showed “a potency matched by no other enzyme.”
The Nutritional Values of Nattokinase
Thrombolytic Effect
This dietary supplement can eliminate thrombus (clotting) in the body by dissolving a substance known as fibrin, which is responsible for binding the platelets together.
The healthy food natto has beneficial properties that work almost like plasmin, an enzyme that the body naturally produces which helps eliminate fibrin. As people grow older, the body’s production of plasmin decreases. If plasmin is insufficient in the body, it will be more likely that you will have a higher risk of suffering blood clotting, which can lead the development of many threatening medical conditions.
This is the cogent reason plasmin is very important. To help you with this, Nattokinase can be a very useful supplement to replace the lost plasmin in your body to support your health. Aside from improving the body’s plasmin production, it also helps increase other valuable blood clotting eliminators such as urokinase (endogenous). This is certainly one of the best Nattokinase benefits.
Normalize Blood Pressure
This beneficial supplement is found to help lower and normalize the body’s blood pressure. Various clinical studies show that natto is capable of lowering the body’s blood pressure by inhibiting ACE or angiotensin-converting enzyme.
ACE can cause the body’s blood vessels to become inelastic and narrow, which in turn increases the body’s blood pressure leading to hypertension. With the use of this dietary supplement, it will inhibit ACE thus preventing blood pressure to get higher.
Anti-Aging Effects
Since this dietary supplement is rich in protein, it can be very useful in keeping the skin healthy to look younger for a considerable amount of time. Aside from that, Nattokinase also has highs amount of vitamin K2, which is a natural and potent anti-aging agent that helps improve the overall health condition of the skin of an individual.
Improves Blood Circulation
One of the most valuable Nattokinase benefits is that it is capable of improving the body’s blood circulation, which will greatly help various vital organs to work normally. To increase blood flow, this dietary supplement will also help prevent the narrowing and hardening of arteries.
Prevents Osteoporosis
Since this dietary supplement is rich in K2 vitamin, it can greatly help to prevent osteoporosis from developing as well as from further worsening. This can be a useful tool for those people who have a higher risk of acquiring this medical condition.
Prevents Heart Disease
This supplement can act as a natural and effective blood thinner in the body, which enables the blood to freely flow throughout the arteries to supply the vital organs sufficiently. Aside from this, it can also be very useful in preventing plaque from developing in the complex arteries, which in turn reduces your risk from arterial clotting.
Lowers Cholesterol
As an excellent blood thinner, this dietary supplement becomes a valuable agent in reducing the body’s cholesterol levels. This will greatly help those people to cut their risks from suffering health complications associated with excessive cholesterol levels.
With these great Nattokinase benefits, you will be able to have a lesser risk of suffering heart-related conditions and other serious health problems.