Healthy blood flow is vital to keep your heart and cardiovascular system healthy. Good circulation is necessary to deliver oxygen to your cells and organs, including the heart. If your blood isn’t flowing smoothly through your veins, it’s like a traffic jam on the interstate.
One of the best ways to support healthy blood flow is with a supplement called nattokinase.* Nattokinase boasts the most significant ability to help maintain healthy blood flow among circulation-supporting supplements.1*
There’s a lot of good research to back up its use in circulatory health and other factors involved in heart health.*
This blog post will showcase the benefits of supplementing with nattokinase and other complementary ingredients.
In 1980, Hiroyuki Sumi, a Japanese researcher at the Chicago University Medical School, found that the traditional Japanese food natto can dissolve artificial fibrin,2 the protein by-product of clotting.* Sumi and his colleagues isolated the enzyme from natto that was responsible for the breakdown of fibrin. He called this novel fibrin-dissolving enzyme nattokinase.2*
Nattokinase is one of the best ways to support healthy blood flow.* It’s an enzyme made when the bacterium Bacillus subtilis ferments soybeans into natto, a traditional food in Japan eaten for thousands of years.1 A great deal of research on nattokinase health benefits has come out of Japan, Korea, and China, and now Western health practices are also is recognizing its ability to help maintain healthy blood flow.1*
However, while natto is a delicious natural source of this enzyme, it only yields about 24 – 28 fibrin units (FU) of nattokinase per gram. Compare that to DaVinci® Laboratories Nattokinase Plus™, which guarantees 20,000 FU per gram.
Nattokinase is a fibrinolytic enzyme, which means it breaks down fibrin.* It aids in maintaining healthy levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1,3 a protein that interferes with the breakdown of clots.*
Too low levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 can get in the way of wound healing, whereas levels that are too high can encourage unhealthy clotting.
Nattokinase also supports healthy levels of fibrinogen,4 which promotes normal blood clotting.* The body needs some fibrinogen for proper wound healing, but when too much fibrinogen is produced, it can lead to excessive clotting.
Nattokinase also is one of the best proteolytic enzymes supplement due to its powerful ability to break down protein without breaking down muscle tissue.*
In addition, plasma levels of other clotting factors (Factors VII and VIII) decreased after nattokinase intake.4*
Nattokinase is beneficial for anyone seeking to support their heart and cardiovascular system.* Animal5,6 and human studies4,7 show that nattokinase provides support to the circulatory system by keeping blood flowing smoothly.*
Nattokinase also maintains healthy systolic and diastolic blood pressure8 and promotes the integrity of arterial walls.9* Nattokinase keeps arteries strong and free of any build up that can interfere with blood flow.10* For example, in a rat model of suppressed blood flow in the carotid artery, nattokinase restored 62% of arterial circulation.1*
In humans, lower levels of factor VII and VIII are linked to heart health. After two months, a human trial found that nattokinase was able to significantly decrease factor VII, factor VIII, and fibrinogen in all three groups of patients studied, including healthy volunteers.4* None of the study participants experienced any adverse effects.
In a study of healthy young males, all it took was one dose of nattokinase to promote healthy coagulation by breaking apart fibrin.7*
Although not all studies are consistent, research shows that nattokinase may help maintain cholesterol levels within the normal range.*
Specifically, nattokinase reduces the peroxidation of lipids, including oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.12* Oxidation of cholesterol in the body is a process that enhances the harmful effects of LDL or “bad cholesterol”.
In a four-month human randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, nattokinase supplementation in 113 people supported healthy levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, non-high-density cholesterol (non-HDL-C), and the LDL cholesterol to HDL ratio.13*
Nattokinase may also boost blood flow to the brain and, as a proteolytic enzyme, help dissolve unwanted proteins.14*
Consequently, researchers are looking into nattokinase as a possible way to support healthy memory and cognition during aging.14* Because it can dissolve unwanted proteins, nattokinase also may have a role to play in immune support.15*
The best supplements for circulatory health contain synergistic ingredients to support blood flow and healthy blood vessels.*
That’s why our nattokinase supplement is called Nattokinase Plus™. It combines nattokinase with serratiopeptidase (another type of fibrinolytic enzyme) and a bioflavonoid called rutin.
Like nattokinase, serratiopeptidase helps break down protein debris, keeping the arteries strong and blood flowing smoothly.*
Serratiopeptidase is used for its ability to promote a healthy inflammatory response in such situations as helping to reduce postoperative swelling.16*
Rutin may help strengthen the collagen structure of vein walls.17* Some of its beneficial effects are due to its ability to maintain levels of the body’s master antioxidant, glutathione.18*
Animal research suggests that rutin may protect the heart from toxic substances like phthalates and bisphenol A.17*
When selecting a nattokinase supplement, it’s important to choose one that indicates the enzyme activity of the supplement.
On the label, you will see this reported as FU/gram. If the label only reports the milligram amount, it is not enough to tell you the extent of enzymatic activity.
Nattokinase Plus™ boasts a potent 20,000 FU/gram of nattokinase enzyme activity (3,000 FU per serving). It is formulated withNatto NSP-2™ brand nattokinase, which is made from non-GMO soy.
The bottom line? If you want healthy blood vessels and a strong cardiovascular system, nattokinase is an ideal supplement.*
Over the last 40 years, research continues to back up its ability to help maintain a healthy circulatory system.* It may even support blood pressure and cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range.*
In Nattokinase Plus™, nattokinase teams up with serratiopeptidase (another powerful proteolytic supplement) as well as the bioflavonoid, rutin. This combination breaks up the “traffic jam” in your veins, so that blood can flow freely and smoothly to your heart and other organs.*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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[2] Sumi H, Hamada H, Tsushima H, Mihara H, Muraki H. A novel fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) in the vegetable cheese Natto; a typical and popular soybean food in the Japanese diet. Experientia. 1987;43(10):1110-1111.
[3] Suzuki Y, Kondo K, Matsumoto Y, et al. 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;73(10):1289-1298.
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[9] Suzuki Y, Kondo K, Ichise H, Tsukamoto Y, Urano T, Umemura K. Dietary supplementation with fermented soybeans suppresses intimal thickening. Nutrition. 2003;19(3):261-264.
[10] Ren NN, Chen HJ, Li Y, McGowan GW, Lin YG. [A clinical study on the effect of nattokinase on carotid artery atherosclerosis and hyperlipidaemia]. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2017;97(26):2038-2042.
[11] Jang JY, Kim TS, Cai J, et al. Nattokinase improves blood flow by inhibiting platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. Lab Anim Res. 2013;29(4):221-225.
[12] 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;50(12):3597-3601.
[13] Liu X, Zeng X, Mahe J, et al. The Effect of Nattokinase-Monascus Supplements on Dyslipidemia: A Four-Month Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2023;15(19).
[14] Fadl NN, Ahmed HH, Booles HF, Sayed AH. Serrapeptase and nattokinase intervention for relieving Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology in rat model. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2013;32(7):721-735.
[15] Tanikawa T, Kiba Y, Yu J, et al. Degradative Effect of Nattokinase on Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2. Molecules. 2022;27(17).
[16] Tamimi Z, Al Habashneh R, Hamad I, Al-Ghazawi M, Roqa'a AA, Kharashgeh H. Efficacy of serratiopeptidase after impacted third molar surgery: a randomized controlled clinical trial. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):91.
[17] Huang R, Shi Z, Chen L, Zhang Y, Li J, An Y. Rutin alleviates diabetic cardiomyopathy and improves cardiac function in diabetic ApoEknockout mice. Eur J Pharmacol. 2017;814:151-160.
[18] Rahmani S, Naraki K, Roohbakhsh A, Hayes AW, Karimi G. The protective effects of rutin on the liver, kidneys, and heart by counteracting organ toxicity caused by synthetic and natural compounds. Food Sci Nutr. 2023;11(1):39-56.