Every day, approximately 5 litres of blood in our body travel many times through nearly 100,000,000 metres of blood vessels to transport oxygen, nutrients and water throughout the body. With age and unhealthy lifestyle factors, blockages begin to form in blood vessels which may not be discovered until some debilitating event like heart attack or stroke occurs. Thus, maintaining a healthy circulatory system is of utmost importance to our well-being.
What Causes Blockages in the Blood Vessel?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is normally associated with plaque and blood clot (thrombus) formation which resulted from dysfunctional or injured blood vessels.
Blood clot is necessary to stop bleeding and restore damaged blood vessels. Once bleeding stops and damaged blood vessel is healed, blood clots are broken down (fibrinolytic action) naturally.
However, imbalance clotting (coagulation) and dissolving (fibrinolysis) process may prevent blood clot from breaking down properly, and thereby accumulated in the blood vessels. These abnormal blood clots, along with plaques in the arteries (blood vessels), obstruct the blood flow around the body, decreasing oxygen supply, eventually resulting in a heart attack or stroke. Blood clots in veins may lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and subsequent pulmonary embolism.
|DVT is blood clots formed in a vein deep in the body, usually lower leg or thigh, with symptoms such as pain and swelling on the affected leg, redness or colour change and
warmth on the skin. Pulmonary embolism usually occurs when a blood clot (DVT) travels to the lungs and blocks a blood vessel. This could damage the lungs and other organs as wellas cause heart failure due to lower blood oxygen levels.
How is a Blood Clot Form?
Blood clot forms when:
• Skin or blood vessel wall is broken (such as cut or internal injury)
• Cholesterol plaques in arteries break open (most heart attacks and strokes happen when a plaque inside the heart or brain suddenly burst)
• Blood does not flow properly (if blood pools in blood vessel or heart, platelets in blood are more prone to stick together and forms clots)
Blood clot formation (thrombosis)
Note: If fibrinolytic activity is decreased (for ex: age, obesity, high blood pressure), blood clot cannot be removed properly and this will increase the risk of heart attack & stroke.
FU (fibrin unit) - an activity unit that quantifies the enzyme’s ability to lyse fibrin in vitro.
<sourced from 李超 on YouTube>
The No.1 Clinically Studied Nattokinase*
*Based on the number of clinical studies, as of Dec 2017
• Authentic nattokinase as recognised by JHFA (Japan Health and Nutrition Food Association) and JNKA (Japan NattoKinase Association)
• Clinically proven safe & effective. Backed by more than 35 studies.
• Halal* & NSF certified. Compliant with GMP & public health protection standards.
• Patented production technology. Awarded 2 Japanese patents and 3 U.S. patents for the proprietary processing technique.
• 100% natural and vegetarian formula. Non-irradiated, free of vitamin K2, purine and pungent smell. Vitamin K2 may increase blood clotting and is known to interact with and reduce the effectiveness of Warfarin (blood thinner). Purine is a risk factor for high uric acid and gout.
• Highly safe & stable. Confirmed by human clinical trials, research studies and almost 20 years of safety track records. Nattokinase NSK-SD® is stable for 42 months at room temperature and 18 months at 40oC.
*The encapsulation of NSK-SD® is not certified halal.
• High bioavailability. Nattokinase level significantly increases in blood 2 hours after intake with peak concentration at 13.3 hours. (Altern Ther Health Med. 19(3): 16-19 (2013)).
Clinically Proven Health Benefits
of Nattokinase NSK-SD®:
✓ Breaks down blood clots and enhance anticoagulant
(Balancing clotting system naturally and thus, does not increase bleeding risk)
In a human clinical trial, healthy young men (22.3 ± 0.6 years old) received either a single dose of 2,000 FU nattokinase NSK-SD® or placebo and blood samples were collected and analysed. Results show that nattokinase NSK-SD® enhances fibrinolysis (breaking down of blood clots) and anticoagulation.
✓ Reduces blood viscosity
In an in vitro study, blood samples from healthy adult individuals were incubated with nattokinase at various doses. Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation was then assessed. The decrease of RBC aggregation suggests its potential benefits on patients having or at risk for cardiovascular diseases.
✓ Improves blood flow
In a human clinical trial, healthy subjects (30s – 40s years old) in the fasting state received 2,000 FU nattokinase NSK-SD® and their blood flow was measured. After a 2-week break, the same subjects received placebo under the same condition. Results showed that nattokinase NSK-SD® increased blood flow, suggesting a possible use of NSK-SD® for healthy circulation.
Blood flow of 3 subjects. The blood flow increases in the order of blue →green →yellow→ orange → red.
✓ Supports healthy blood pressure
In a human clinical trial, subjects (20 – 80 years old) with pre-hypertension or stage 1 hypertension and initial untreated systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 130 to 159 mmHg were given 2,000 FU nattokinase NSK-SD® or placebo per day for 8 weeks. Compared to placebo, nattokinase NSK-SD® reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), suggesting nattokinase may play a critical role in preventing and treating hypertension or high blood pressure.
✓ Promote cardiovascular health
The American Heart Association justifies C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as an independent clinical marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
In a human clinical trial, subjects with cardiovascular risk factors received one dose of 2,000 FU nattokinase NSK-SD® and their blood was tested. Nattokinase demonstrated the ability to normalise levels of hs-CRP.
Nattokinase NSK-SD® is highly recommended for the following individuals:
Those concerned with heart health
Regular alcohol drinkers
Poor eating habits (diet high in fat, cholesterol and low in fibre), meat-lovers
Sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity
High blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar or viscosity
Irregular heartbeat or pulse
Hardening or blockage of arteries (blood vessels)
Poor blood circulation, such as cold, numb or swollen hands and legs, muscle cramps, stiff shoulder, varicose veins, chronic fatigue etc.
A history of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, stroke etc
With family history of poor heart health or stroke issues
Reduced blood flow to limbs due to narrowed arteries with symptoms such as: - Painful cramping in hip, thigh or calf muscles when walking
- Coldness in lower leg or foot than the other side
- Weak pulse in legs or feet
- Slower growth of toenails - Shiny skin on legs
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with symptoms such as: - Mild to severe pain in the affected arm or leg
- Swelling of an arm or leg
- Redness or colour change
- Warmth in the skin
Pulmonary embolism with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath and fast heartbeat
Swollen vein in the region of the anus (haemorrhoid)
Nattokinase is a peculiar enzyme that can be identified by several test methods, including comparison of Oxidised Insulin Chain B Degradation Pattern. Despite readily available test methods, there are still many companies that claim and market counterfeit enzymes as nattokinase, including peptidase, protease and chungkinase that are produced from similar Bacillus species or fungi (Aspergillus oryzae) in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and the USA.
Although some of these are able to degrade fibrin in a petri dish (in vitro), there is no indication of its efficacy in the human body. Besides, the comprehensive safety and potency data of nattokinase NSK-SD® could not be applied to these counterfeit nattokinase. Here is the comparison between genuine and counterfeit nattokinase using simple test method.