Nattokinase in the Prevention and Treatment of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

Human Data Promising as Supplement Widely Used in Post COVID-19 and Vaccine Injury Syndromes

By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

Approximately 15% of Americans who took a COVID-19 vaccine have some new medical illness and regret the shot. Many are looking to nattokinase in formulations of Spike protein support supplements asking is it safe, and what is the track record for this Asian discovery?

Chen et al reviewed human studies before the pandemic on the use of nattokinase with this introduction: “Natto, a cheese-like food made of soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis, has been consumed as a traditional food in Asian countries for more than 2000 years. Natto consumption is believed to be a significant contributor to the longevity of the Japanese population. Recent studies demonstrated that a high natto intake was associated with decreased risk of total CVD mortality and, in particular, a decreased risk of mortality from ischaemic heart diseases. Before the 1980s, very little was known about the mechanism by which natto consumption led to overall cardiovascular health. In 1987, Sumi et al discovered that natto contained a potent fibrinolytic enzyme called nattokinase (NK). Since then, a considerable amount of NK research has been performed on NK in Japan, Korea, China, and the United States, and these studies confirmed that NK, an alkaline protease of 275 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of approximately 28 kDa, is the most active ingredient of natto and is responsible for many favourable effects on cardiovascular health. First, NK has potent fibrinolytic/antithrombotic activity. In addition, in both animal and human studies, NK also has an antihypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic, lipid-lowering, antiplatelet/anticoagulant, and neuroprotective actions…The most unique feature of NK is that, as a single compound, it possesses multiple CVD preventative and alleviating pharmacologic effects (namely, antithrombotic, antihypertensive, anticoagulant, anti-atherosclerotic, and neuroprotective effects). There are no other drugs or drug candidates with multiple pharmacologic properties similar to NK. In addition, NK is a natural product that can be administered orally, has a proven safety profile, is economical to use, and provides distinct advantages over other pharmaceutical products.”

In drug development, the most important early observations are on safety. There are two units used in nattokinase dosing, e.g. 100 mg=2000 fibrinolytic units (FU). In the table, Lampe et al in 2016 tested nattokinase up to 10 mg/kg/day (~160,000 FU for an 80 kg person). That means in doses of 100 mg or 2000 FU twice a day are well within a safety range to avoid significant toxicities.

In summary this review is reassuring that the ever increasing use of nattokinase in post-COVID-19 and after COVID-19 vaccine injuries is safe and reasonably well tolerated. There may be additional benefits on the cardiovascular system. There is a pressing need for continued clinical development for the COVID-19 and cardiovascular indications. Patients wanting to use the supplement ahead of the emerging science should discuss with a knowledgeable healthcare professional and be on alert for intolerances, allergic reactions, or bleeding complications.

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Chen H, McGowan EM, Ren N, Lal S, Nassif N, Shad-Kaneez F, Qu X, Lin Y. Nattokinase: A Promising Alternative in Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases. Biomark Insights. 2018 Jul 5;13:1177271918785130. doi: 10.1177/1177271918785130. PMID: 30013308; PMCID: PMC6043915.

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