Natto is a fermented food made of soybeans and is rich in vegetable protein. The fermentation of soybeans is common in traditional Asian and African culinary practice.
Natto is a traditional Japanese food consumed for at least a thousand years as breakfast with rice, on toast, or as sushi, and is also available as an ice cream flavour. In Japan, natto is eaten to lower blood pressure and for cardiovascular support.
You can look over the confirmed research by several clinical trials in 1995 that studied the effects of nattokinase on blood pressure in both animal and human subjects at Miyazaki Medical College and Kurashiki University in Japan.
Natto has been used as a folk remedy for diseases of the heart and circulatory system (cardiovascular disease) for hundreds of years.
Natto also contains vitamin K2 and isophrabon, which help to prevent diseases such as osteoporosis and breast cancer and to slow down the aging process.
Four years ago, the World Health Organization reported that the Japanese, who consume large amounts of fermented soy foods like natto and miso along with green tea, ginger and ocean herbs, have the longest lifespan of any people in the world.
Soybeans are a rich source of essential amino acids, which are vital in maintaining a healthy body.
Boiling and fermenting soybeans with bacillus natto significantly increases their nutritional value, and among the many traditional fermented foods of Japan, natto tops the list in health benefits.
Diuretics also cause the loss of magnesium. But for some people, high blood pressure could be caused by a deficiency of magnesium. Some blood pressure drugs lower magnesium levels.
Natto has diuretic properties, the possible health benefits of natto tend to be exaggerated by the Japanese media. In 2007, natto sales spiked after one television program reported that natto has dramatic weight loss benefits.