Nattokinase and Longevity

Nattokinase Impacts Aging Via

• Altered cellular communication
• Inflammaging
• Loss of proteostasis

The role of Nattokinase in aging and longevity

Nattokinase is an enzyme derived from Natto – boiled soybeans fermented with the bacteria Bacillus subtilis. Natto is a traditional Japanese dish that is known to have many health and nutritional benefits. Natto is known to contain nutrients like iron, calcium, and vitamins K and C. Despite its name, nattokinase is actually a type of enzyme known as serine protease. It is commonly used as a health supplement because of its ability to boost cardiovascular health through digesting fibrin to prevent thrombus formation and reduce blood clotting.

Impact of nattokinase on cardiovascular health

Chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) is a hallmark of aging, which is a risk factor for several age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disease.

Researchers have found that nattokinase may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health due to its antithrombotic and fibrinolytic properties. In a clinical trial published in 2009, healthy adults who consumed 2 capsules of nattokinase (2000 fibrinolysis units per capsule) a day for two months showed significant decline in three different factors of blood coagulation. (Hsia et al., 2009) This demonstrates that nattokinase may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.

More recently, results from a clinical trial found that eight weeks of nattokinase supplementation could support cardiovascular health by increasing the time taken for blood clot formation, which helps to delay the formation of plaque in the arteries to maintain arterial health. (Yoo et al., 2019) On top of its fibrinolytic properties, nattokinase was found to boost cardiovascular health by lowering total cholesterol levels after study participants consumed it for four months. (Liu et al., 2023)

Studies have also shown that nattokinase supplementation for 12 months supports cardiovascular health by maintaining healthy fat levels in the blood. (Chen et al., 2022) Furthermore, consumption of nattokinase helps to promote cardiovascular health by eliciting beneficial changes to blood pressure in the form of a decrease in average diastolic blood pressure. (Jensen et al., 2016)

Taken together, nattokinase demonstrates potential protective effects towards cardiovascular health through its fibrinolytic, fat-lowering, blood pressure-lowering and anti-clotting properties

Impact of nattokinase on brain health

Nattokinase helps to support brain health and delay brain aging by targeting the formation of protein clumps that accumulate as a result of aging. Scientists have found in animal studies that nattokinase supplementation for 27 days may boost brain health with observable improvements in learning and memory through maintaining cellular mechanisms like Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling that it supports healthy brain cells. (Naik et al., 2023)

Researchers have found that nattokinase may support brain health by facilitating the removal of protein clumps in the brain when nattokinase was supplemented to animal models. (Elbakry et al., 2022) Researchers of this same study have also found that nattokinase promotes healthy brain aging by engaging anti-inflammatory mechanisms to protect the brain from neuroinflammatory factors. Nattokinase may also protect the brain from oxidative stress by engaging the brain’s Nrf2 cell signaling pathways, which is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. (Elbakry et al., 2022)

These studies demonstrate the neuroprotective role of nattokinase in maintaining brain health to delay brain aging as a result of protein clumping and oxidative stress.

Allergy information

Consuming nattokinase may elicit allergic reactions in a small proportion of people as was demonstrated in a 2007 study. (Inomata et al., 2007) These people also tested positive on the skin prick tests for fermented soybeans with an average of 9.6 hours onset after consumption.

Further research has found that the compound known as polygamma glutamic acid found in the sticky substance of natto beans to be responsible for the allergic reaction caused by nattokinase. (Suzuki et al., 2023)

NOVOS VITAL & Nattokinase

References

Chen, H., Chen, J., Zhang, F., Li, Y., Wang, R., Zheng, Q., Zhang, X., Zeng, J., Xu, F., & Lin, Y. (2022). Effective management of atherosclerosis progress and hyperlipidemia with nattokinase: A clinical study with 1,062 participants. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine, 9, 964977. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.964977

Elbakry, M. M. M., Mansour, S. Z., Helal, H., & Ahmed, E. S. A. (2022). Nattokinase attenuates bisphenol A or gamma irradiation-mediated hepatic and neural toxicity by activation of Nrf2 and suppression of inflammatory mediators in rats. Environmental science and pollution research international, 29(49), 75086–75100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21126-9

Hsia, C. H., Shen, M. C., Lin, J. S., Wen, Y. K., Hwang, K. L., Cham, T. M., & Yang, N. C. (2009). Nattokinase decreases plasma levels of fibrinogen, factor VII, and factor VIII in human subjects. Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.), 29(3), 190–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2009.01.009

Inomata, N., Osuna, H., Kawano, K., Yamaguchi, J., Yanagimachi, M., Matsukura, S., & Ikezawa, Z. (2007). Late-onset anaphylaxis after ingestion of Bacillus Subtilis-fermented soybeans (Natto): clinical review of 7 patients. Allergology international : official journal of the Japanese Society of Allergology, 56(3), 257–261. https://doi.org/10.2332/allergolint.O-06-460

Jensen, G. S., Lenninger, M., Ero, M. P., & Benson, K. F. (2016). Consumption of nattokinase is associated with reduced blood pressure and von Willebrand factor, a cardiovascular risk marker: results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter North American clinical trial. Integrated blood pressure control, 9, 95–104. https://doi.org/10.2147/IBPC.S99553

Liu, X., Zeng, X., Mahe, J., Guo, K., He, P., Yang, Q., Zhang, Z., Li, Z., Wang, D., Zhang, Z., Wang, L., & Jing, L. (2023). The Effect of Nattokinase-Monascus Supplements on Dyslipidemia: A Four-Month Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients, 15(19), 4239. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15194239

Naik, S., Katariya, R., Shelke, S., Patravale, V., Umekar, M., Kotagale, N., & Taksande, B. (2023). Nattokinase prevents β-amyloid peptide (Aβ1-42) induced neuropsychiatric complications, neuroinflammation and BDNF signalling disruption in mice. European journal of pharmacology, 952, 175821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175821

Suzuki, K., Nakamura, M., Sato, N., Futamura, K., Matsunaga, K., & Yagami, A. (2023). Nattokinase (Bac s 1), a subtilisin family serine protease, is a novel allergen contained in the traditional Japanese fermented food natto. Allergology international : official journal of the Japanese Society of Allergology, 72(2), 279–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alit.2022.11.010

Yoo, H. J., , Kim, M., , Kim, M., , Lee, A., , Jin, C., , Lee, S. P., , Kim, T. S., , Lee, S. H., , & Lee, J. H., (2019). The effects of nattokinase supplementation on collagen-epinephrine closure time, prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time in nondiabetic and hypercholesterolemic subjects. Food & function, 10(5), 2888–2893. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8fo02324g