Nattokinase: Revisiting Mom's Kitchen Table Wisdom
Dr. Peter McCullough recently tweeted about Nattokinase and it’s potential for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. I’m excited that this is finally getting some buzz.
This is good news for everyone - whether you were exposed to the virus, are experiencing “long-haul” syndrome, or want to prevent side effects from the shots.
From the study:
Vaccination may not completely protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection because the number of patients with COVID-19 is increasing after vaccination. Therefore, it is important to develop novel treatments for SARS-CoV-2 infections...
Nattokinase possesses the potent degradation activity for SARS-CoV-2 S protein and has also been shown to exert anti-atherosclerotic, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, fibrinolytic, neuroprotective, antiplatelet, and anticoagulant effects [20]. Patients with hypertension and cardiovascular comorbidities can easily get very sick from COVID-19 [21]. Due to the emergence of numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2 including strains with mutated vaccine target epitopes, vaccination alone may not completely protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nattokinase and natto extracts have the potential to be developed as a new generation of drug for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
Folk Medicine Strikes Again
It was my mom who first introduced me to nattokinase during a visit to her hometown - a tiny mountain village of Shiiba on the island of Kyushu, Japan - when I was a child. She was trying to get me to try these slimy fermented soybeans called Natto.
I turned up my nose. They looked funny. They smelled weird. And there was plenty of delicious food I’d rather eat in Japan.
She didn’t insist, but she did tell me that those beans were really healthy. She said they had energy from the sun (something about how they were left out to ferment). They were good for my digestion and my heart, she said. I couldn’t bring myself to try them at the time, but I was intrigued. She was so connected to the foods she loved, had such reverence for where it came from and what it could do. Many of the pickled, smoked and fermented foods I tried on those visits resurfaced in my studies when I went back to school to study Chinese medicine and Eastern dietary therapy decades later.
I’ve since been fascinated by the fermented foods of various cultures and the health impacts associated with them. And I’ve simultaneously observed the chase… science trying to keep up with nature… all the time and in so many directions. It’s hard not to notice our constant attempts to use science to reduce the magic of nature to functions we can understand and control. And, if you really observe nature, it’s hard not to notice that that’s not really how nature works.
But back to natto and nattokinase.
Natto is soybeans that are fermented using Bacillus subtilis bacteria. The result is a kinda nutty, kinda tangy “superfood” that is rick in vitamin K, B vitamins, probiotics, fiber, manganese, iron, calcium, zinc and, of course, nattokinase. Natto consumption has been linked to reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease.
Nattokinase is best known for it’s role in protecting heart health.
Here is a study showing how natto extracts/nattokinase can suppress intimal thickening (a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis):
We investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with natto extracts produced from fermented soybeans on intimal thickening of arteries after vessel endothelial denudation. Natto extracts include nattokinase, a potent fibrinolytic enzyme having four times greater fibrinolytic activity than plasmin.
…These findings suggest that natto extracts, because of their thrombolytic activity, suppress intimal thickening after vascular injury as a result of the inhibition of mural thrombi formation.
According to the article, Serrapatase and Nattokinase: What You Need to Know:
Nattokinase has powerful anti-inflammatory and fibrin-degrading activity. It prevents and dissolves blood clots, promotes healthy circulation, and supports normal blood pressure. It also helps maintain healthy C-reactive protein levels (CRP). CRP is an inflammation marker and a serious risk factor for heart disease.
Nature is so cool. Food can be so healing. And there are solutions all around us!
I’m glad science is confirming what evolving and observant humans have been discovering over centuries, but much of this confirms to me that nature is way ahead of us… and finding our way back to it and striking a balance is where the real healing happens.
Ann, Thanks for this important information. It is important to stress that eating fresh (not previously frozen) natto is far more protective than nattokinase pills. Nyrture.com is a high-quality fresh brand available nationwide. I recommend serving with a tiny dab of Eden mustard. Eden uses apple cider vinegar and not cheap harsh white vinegar in their mustards.
I ate jars of this during my covid infection....i love that nature really is designed to aid in our health and longevity.