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Prevention of cardiovascular disease
There is a bad history of cardiovascular disease, especially thrombosis, in my husband’s family and although he is currently in good health, I am concerned that now he is in his forties, he should be taking something to make sure he does not suffer a stroke or heart attack in later life. What do you suggest?
In the 1980s, Japanese researchers investigating the blood-clot-busting properties of over 200 natural agents, including foods, discovered that a fermented food called Natto demonstrated the strongest thrombocytic activity by far.
Natto is made by adding the spores of the Bacillus natto bacterium, (hence the name), to boiled soya beans and, thanks to both its texture and taste, the resulting food has become known as vegetable cheese.
The reason it is so effective in protecting against cardiovascular blockages is thanks to the presence of an enzyme, now known as nattokinase, which can not only help prevent the formation of life-threatening blood clots but which can also help dissolve fibrous clots that may have already formed.
Further research has shown how 100g of natto has the exact same clot-preventing action as a therapeutic dose of the anticoagulant prescription drug, urokinase. Even better, while an injection of the latter remains effective for up to 20 minutes, nattokinase remains active for up to eight hours and has no recorded side-effects.
Now often described as the “poor man’s way of cleaning out the arteries” you can make your own natto but for convenience sake, I would use a supplement which you can mail order from specialist supplier, Revital (0800 252875), where 90 capsules of Natto-K made by Allergy Research Group costs £34.95.
For prevention, take two capsules a day. If you are already taking anticoagulant medication, do not switch to this supplement without proper medical advice, monitoring and supervision.