Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan's University of Tsukuba recently issued a communiqué saying that large-scale clinical trials have shown that natto can inhibit atherosclerosis, but the mechanism is not clear. A team led by researchers at the university revealed the specific mechanism of action through animal experiments, and the results were published in a new issue of the British journal Scientific Reports.
According to the communiqué, in order to inhibit arteriosclerosis by natto rich in vitamin K, they took mice with arteriosclerosis as experimental subjects and divided them into 4 groups, one group was fed high-cholesterol food, and the other three groups were fed natto with different vitamin K content while feeding high-cholesterol food.
The results showed that the arteriosclerosis of all natto-consuming mice was improved, especially in the natto group with the highest vitamin K contentThe intestinal flora of all natto-consuming mice showed an increase in natto bacteria, and the expression of the chemokine CCL2, which promotes arteriosclerosis, was significantly reduced in serum.
This suggests that natto can inhibit arteriosclerosis by altering the intestinal flora and regulating the expression of chemokines, the researchers said, reaffirming the medical value of natto. Next, they plan to study natto's effect on the prevention of other diseases, and strive to develop natto with higher medical value. (ENDS).