Table 1.
List of published clinical studies on NK.
| Year | Location of study | Size of study | Clinical condition observed | Summary of findings | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Japan | 12 | Fibrinolytic activity | 3× NK daily oral administration resulted in enhanced fibrinolytic activity in the plasma and production of tissue plasminogen activator | Sumi et al6 |
| 2004 | Japan | 24 | Ischaemic stroke | NK demonstrated a clear neuroprotective effect in patients with acute ischaemic stroke | Shah et al56 |
| 2008 | Korea | 86 | Hypertension | NK supplementation resulted in a reduction in both systolic and diastolic BP (P < .05) | Kim et al8 |
| 2009 | Taiwan | 45 | Blood coagulation factors | 2 mo of NK treatment significantly decreased fibrinogen, factor VII, and factor confirming a promising cardiovascular benefit | Hsia et al17 |
| 2009 | Taiwan | 30 | Hyperglycaemia | A decrease in serum cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C in the NK group was observed following 8 wk of treatment (4000 FU), but the difference was not statistically significant | Wu et al42 |
| 2013 | USA | 11 | Pharmacokinetics | NK can be measured directly in the human blood after single dosing. Serum levels of NK peaked at approximately 13.3 h ± 2.5 h | Ero et al60 |
| 2015 | Japan | 12 | Thrombolysis and anticoagulation | Blood fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products (thrombolysis and anticoagulation profile) were significantly increased 4 h after NK administration following a single dose of 2000 FU (P < .05), supporting NK as a useful fibrinolytic/anticoagulant agent to reduce the risk of thrombosis and CVDs in humans | Kurosawa et al16 |
| 2016 | USA | 79 | Hypertension and von Willebrand factor | NK consumption for 8 wk led to beneficial changes to BP in hypertensive patients. A decrease in vWF was seen in the female population consuming NK | Jensen et al15 |
| 2016 | USA | 11 | Toxicology/toxicity | NK consumption of 10 mg/kg/day for 4 wk was well tolerated in healthy human volunteers suggesting that the oral consumption of NK is of low toxicological concern | Lampe and English61 |
| 2017 | China | 76 | Atherosclerosis and hyperglycaemia | Daily NK treatment (6500 FU for 26 wk) effectively suppressed the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with atherosclerotic plaques by reducing CCA-IMT and carotid plaque size significantly. NK treatment reduced total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglyceride and increased HDL-C in hyperlipidaemic patients | Ren et al9 |
Abbreviations: BP, blood pressure; CCA-IMT, common carotid artery; CVD, cardiovascular disease; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; NK, nattokinase.