Nattokinase

Nattokinase: The enzyme from a japanese breakfast bowl

In Japan, natto has been part of breakfast for centuries – fermented soybeans, sticky, with a smell that tends to split visitors into two camps on first encounter. In the 1980s, this exact dish caught science's attention: it contains an enzyme that has since made its way to Europe too. Not as an approved health claim, but as an authorised novel food ingredient – with a research history worth a closer look.

Sojabohnenpflanzen auf einem Feld bei Sonnenaufgang

What's behind it

The enzyme forms when Bacillus subtilis var. natto ferments soybeans – the exact process that turns cooked soybeans into natto. It was discovered in 1980 by Japanese researcher Hiroyuki Sumi, who was looking for a natural substance that supports fibrinolysis, the body's own process of breaking down blood clots.

  • Natto itself has been everyday food in Japan for centuries, not a new invention.
  • Nattokinase is the enzyme from it, concentrated and isolated.
  • Since January 2017, an extract derived from it (known commercially as NSK-SD) has been authorized as a novel food in the EU – through Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/115.

A novel food authorization is not a health claim – it only confirms that the substance may be safely consumed in the reviewed amount. It explicitly does not confirm an effect.

Wissenschaftlerin im Labor macht Notizen, im Hintergrund ein Mikroskop

What's being researched

Since Sumi's discovery, a steadily growing body of research has looked at nattokinase in connection with blood flow and fibrinolysis. Several smaller human studies examine how oral intake affects blood-flow markers – an active but still young field of research.

Importantly: no health claim for nattokinase is currently authorized in the EU. That means no manufacturer may make a statement about an effect on blood flow or the cardiovascular system – regardless of how the research field develops. By EFSA's standards, what the data currently shows does not amount to a confirmed effect.

Schale mit Natto, fermentierten Sojabohnen, daneben Reis und Tee

Conclusion

From a breakfast bowl in traditional Japan to EU food law is a long road – and nattokinase has made it without claiming more than the data supports. What remains is a well-documented, safely authorized enzyme with a line of research worth watching, and a safety profile worth taking seriously. That mix of restraint and genuine scientific interest is exactly what makes it a substance worth keeping an eye on.

Important Notice

Nattokinase can affect blood clotting. So regardless of all the open research questions, a clear safety framework applies:

  • Anyone taking blood-thinning medication (e.g. warfarin, aspirin, DOACs) should get medical advice before taking it – the interaction is real and should be taken seriously.
  • Not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
  • Intake should be discussed with the treating doctor ahead of any planned surgery.

This isn't fine print – it's the part that should be read first for an enzyme with this kind of effect.

Sources

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/115 · EFSA Journal 2016;14(9):4541 – Safety of fermented soybean extract NSK-SD® as a novel food · List of authorisations under the former Novel Food Regulation, European Commission

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