Top5 Reasons Superfood Natto Can Help You Live Longer

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WRITTEN BY ANGELA MAE BATUTO, RN
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The risk of heart disease, hypertension and stroke can be greatly reduced by changing unhealthy life habits and taking food supplements that are proven to promote healthy cardiovascular health.

Most people know that having a more balanced diet, exercising regularly and quitting smoking can prevent most cases of CVD before they happen.

But there’s something else you can do.

Ever heard of Natto? In this article, we will show you the top reasons why this must-try superfood is getting worldwide attention for its ability to ward off osteoporosis, hypertension and heart disease.

What exactly is Natto?

Natto is a fermented soybean that originated in Japan. It has been part of Japanese cuisine for over 1000 years and was traditionally used as a remedy for stomach pains, flu and to help women give birth. It has a sticky, stringy appearance and is often eaten with rice for breakfast.

Natto is made through fermentation process by introducing Bacillus natto to steamed or boiled soybeans. In ancient times, it was made by packing soybeans in straw and then buried for about a week below the ground. But today, natto is often produced by adding bacteria in the soybeans.

Nattokinase – The Clot-Busting Enzyme

Much of the talks about natto has to do with its phytonutrient Nattokinase, a clot-busting enzyme that was found by Dr. Hiroyuki Sumiin 1980 while doing his work as a researcher at the University of Chicago.

In an interview by the Japan Functional Food Research Association[1], Dr. Sumi explained in detail the fibrinolytic action and Vitamin K2 functions of Natto.
The bacteria Bacillus subtilisnatto works on the soybeans, releasing nattokinase enzyme.

Dr. Sumi studied numerous foods all over the world but he found that natto contains the highest fibrinolytic content of any food he researched.
Nattokinase can enhance the natural ability of the body to destroy blood clots, and even works better than synthetic blood thinners due to its extended effect without causing any side effects.

Nattokinase has been shown to:

• Prevents formation of blood clots
• Support normal blood pressure
• Dissolves fibrin -  an insoluble protein from fibrinogen during blood clotting
• Dissolves existing blood clots
• Promotes plasmin production and other clot-busting agency such as urokinase.

How Blood Clots Form

Blood clotting is a very important natural process that lets blood thicken to create a clot. While a blood vessel is damaged or injured, platelets aggregate and bind together.

Fibrin, a form of blood protein glue them together to stop the bleeding. If the body didn’t have the ability to clot blood, a person will bleed to death even after a small cut.

However, there are times when blood clots form despite the absence of a cut or wound. Most blood clots dissolve naturally without any complications, but there are situations in which they can cause dangerous effect before being reabsorbed by the body.

1. Thrombus. Forms inside the blood vessel which could impede the flow of blood and prevent supply of oxygen. This can cause a heart attack, destruction or damage of tissue (infacrction) or death of heart tissue. When it forms in the brain, it can result in senility or even stroke.

2. Embolus. Forms inside the heart’s chambers and travels in different parts of the body through the bloodstream. It can lodge in an artery or organ and cut off the blood supply, causing an embolism. Embolism is highly dangerous when it ends in a lung.

Our body produces over 20 enzymes to create blood clots, but there’s only a single enzyme that can dissolve them – plasmin. The problems is, as we age, our body produces more fibrinogen and less plasmin – the reason why the body begins to clot more.

Because there are more blood clots in the blood vessel, they can obstruct blood flow, which leads to heart attack and stroke. One of the most beneficial effects of Nattokinase is its ability to extinguish blood clots, which is closely similar to the fibrinolytic action of the enzyme plasmin.

NattoMax

NattoMax is a supplement of Nattokinase with Vitamin K removed. This is an excellent natural source of Vitamin K2 which contains 100 mg Nattokinase per serving. [3] Nattokinase is a fibrinolytic enzyme which can disrupt the fibrin content of the blood clot and dissolve it.

In addition, Vitamin K has clot-preventing action. Thus, blood can flow freely minimizing the scope of blood clot formation.
 
A clinical trial has been performed to check the efficacy of Nattokinase supplement. According to the result, the administration of this supplement has hypertension preventive and treating properties. [4]

As per the precautionary measures, this drug should not be taken in combination with anticoagulant therapy.

The users in their testimonials have described their improved health condition after using Nattomax.

NOTE:  SINCE TAKING THIS SUPPLEMENT PERSONALLY I HAVE NOT HAD ANOTHER STROKE.

Vitamin K2 – Essential for Proper Blood Clotting

Aside from Nattokinase, another amazing nutrient that Dr. Sumi discovered from natto is menaquinone or Vitamin K2[2].
Vitamin K2 is produced by the bacteria that is found in the digestive tract. As we age, and due to intake of antibiotics, these bacteria weaken and release less Vitamin K2.

Vitamin K2 is important for proper blood clotting. It helps prevent the arteries from hardening, which is a very common factor in heart failure and coronary artery disease.

Vitamin K2 isn’t only beneficial for the heart, it is crucial for building healthy bone as it helps release calcium out of the artery linings and other tissues, where it can cause damage. This role of regulating calcium in the arteries and bones promotes bone health and heart health all together.

The benefits of natto on the bones and in the prevention of osteoporosis, a type of bone disease, is difficult to ignore.
A 2006 study[3] has found that women who consume four packets (each packet has about 40 grams natto) of natto per week reduced the rate of bone mass loss at their thigh bone by more than 80 percent.

Anti-Cholesterol Benefit of Natto

Eating natto can help people with high triglyceride or high cholesterol levels, which are types of fats that can cause hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. Having a high level of cholesterol or triglyceride increases the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

For people with high cholesterol level, which is defined as higher than or equal to 220mg/dl, consuming 30 grams of natto every morning for four weeks without interruption reduced their cholesterol level by about 8 percent. Meanwhile, for individuals with high triglycerides, which is greater than or equal to 150mg/dl, they had an average reduction of nearly 13 percent.

Natto can Help Reduce High Blood Pressure

Natto can help lower blood pressure naturally. A Japanese research found that natto blocks the action of angiotension-converting enzyme, which lowers blood pressure. In one of their human clinical trials, eating natto lowered blood pressure by 10 percent.

Human volunteers with hypertension were instructed to consume 30grams of natto extract, which is equivalent to 7 ounces of natto, for 4 consecutive days. After the trial, systolic pressure reduced an average of 10.9 percent while the diastolic pressure dropped an average of 9.7 percent.

In an animal study, rats were given natto extract and showed a marked drop in their systolic blood and in just two hours with an average of 12.7 percent. All these human and animal tests[4] revealed that Nattokinase produces a powerful ability to dissolve blood clots in the blood stream.

Restores blood circulation

A 58-year old man had a blood clot in his retina of right eye, causing bleeding and fluid buildup. He begun to lose his vision in the right eyes and was confined to a university hospital. The researchers had given him 3 ounce of natto taken before bed every night to reap the benefit of Nattokinase.

On the tenth day, the man’s bleeding completely stopped and by the 20th day, his vision returned. He continued to consume natto and after two months, his retinal angiogram result showed that the blood clot was totally gone.
This is one of the most popular, documented stories about the healing power of Natto[5].

How to Make Natto At Home

Making homemade natto is very easy. Watch this video by Peaceful Cuisine to learn how to make this nutritious superfood. 
Ingredients:

• 300g soy beans
• rice straw

Instructions:
1. Soak the soybeans overnight.
2. Using a pressure cooker, steam the soybeans for 15 minutes.
3. Roll the rice straw and place it in a clean container. Then add the cooked soybeans.
4. Using a yogurt maker, allow the soybeans to ferment at 104F/40C for 24 hours.

As for me I buy the Nattomax on Amazon.com and it has saved my life.  I highly recommend this brand for ease and comfort.  Make sure you do not take more than 1 capsule per day.

ALSO READ:  HOW I SURVIVED MULTIPLE STROKES USING NIGELLA SATIVA, NATOMAX AND CAYENNE

References
[1] Japan Functional Food Research Association, “Healthy Interview”
http://www.jafra.gr.jp/eng/sumi.html
[2]Tsukamoto Y, et.al. Intake of fermented soybean (natto) increases circulating vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7) and gamma-carboxylatedosteocalcin concentration in normal individuals.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10874601
[3]Ikeda Y, et.al. Intake of fermented soybeans, natto, is associated with reduced bone loss in postmenopausal women: Japanese Population-Based Osteoporosis (JPOS) Study.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16614424
[4]Ji Young Kim, et.al. Effects of Nattokinase on Blood Pressure: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. https://www.nature.com/articles/hr2008203
[5]Nishimura, K. et al. Natto diet was apparently effective in a case of incipient central retinal vein occlusion. Japan Rev Clin Ophthalmol1994, 88:1381-85.