Fermented Soybean?: I was speaking to a... - Atrial Fibrillati...

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Fermented Soybean?

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I was speaking to a New Zealand couple while on holiday who has been using NATTO Fermented Soybean for his AF and claims since using it he has not had a single episode? I must say it does not look very appetising at all and from what I have read it is the japanese equivalent of Marmite you love it or hate it, anyone used it or heard of it before?

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23 Replies
Jjda profile image
Jjda

I have never had Natto, but there is a growing body of evidence that fermented foods of any kind, Kefir, saurkraut, yogurt, etc, are good for your gut health. So, if his Afib was triggered by digestive issues, I think that might work for him. It certainly can't hurt.

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Offcut in reply toJjda

I know it is rich in vit k so no good if on warfarin

MassiveB profile image
MassiveB in reply toOffcut

It's vit k2 in natto which is ok with warfarin, the vit k1 in greens is the one warfarin blocks.

rothwell profile image
rothwell

Natto is a natural blood thinner and I used to take a product called Nattokinase before I decided to bite the bullet and take Apixaban. So if you are taking an anticoagulant please don't take this as it could be quite dangerous.

Auriculaire profile image
Auriculaire in reply torothwell

Ditto. But I had a TIA whilst taking the nattokinase!

Thomas45 profile image
Thomas45

When I had Paroxysmal AF soy was one of the known triggers in my case to trigger am AF episodes. Coffee, not caffeine but coffee itself, was the other known trigger.

I now have permanent AF.

As a result of a beta blocker giving me a very rare side effect of urticaria I now avoid fermented produce which can make the rashes more longlasting and more painful.

horseblister profile image
horseblister

I am allergic to any form of soya.

Nugger profile image
Nugger

I take nattokinase

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Offcut in reply toNugger

Just read it is not recommended with blood thinners :(

Nugger profile image
Nugger in reply toOffcut

That’s because it’s a natural blood thinner itself, that’s the reason I take it, read up about it, see what you think.

My cardiologist said I cannot comment on it but as we walked out the door she says I’ve read a lot of good reports on it lol

Auriculaire profile image
Auriculaire in reply toNugger

I still had a TIA whilst taking it so reluctantly started Apixaban.

Nugger profile image
Nugger in reply toAuriculaire

Gotcha, there’s none that can stop you from having a stroke, just reduces the risk, Hope Apixaban does the trick

nymima01 profile image
nymima01

I can’t eat regular soy, but fermented soy has different properties that don’t mess with my hormones. But be careful in taking fermented soy if you are on certain medications. Check for compatibility first. Check out fermented soy as opposed to soy in its original form.

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Offcut

After 3 Ablations and 9 CV it has not worked for me . But to be fair I have other complicated conditions playing a part which are not helping

My wife sees a functional medicine practitioner. She has one particular particle of cholesterol that is high because of genetics. It does not respond to diet, exercise or statins. The nasty LDL particle also tends to latch on to blood clots. Her doctor put her on Nattokinase Plus 12 years ago. It apparently not only prevents blood clots, but is actually a clot buster too. She hasn't had any issues and has made it to 67 in spite of a family history of early heart attacks. Her Grandmother died at 64 from a massive heart attack, her brother died at age 60 of a massive cardiac event. He had his first heart attack at age 37. Her parents and the other 3 grandparents had heart attacks before age 60 and had hemorrhagic strokes as well, as did her paternal uncle. It was the hemorrhagic strokes that killed them. We were able to get medical records for the doctor to review and he was concerned because all those who had the hemorrhagic strokes had been on Warfarin after their heart attacks. Her previous doctor wanted to put her on Warfarin, but she was not keen on the idea because of all the INR testing required. The Nattokinase has done the trick for her. It runs about $23 USD a month.

Lewis1234 profile image
Lewis1234

Many people have reduced their episodes and some have eliminated them altogether through diet and lifestyle changes, others have not. Many have also had great success with ablations and some have not.

MarkS profile image
MarkS

There is very little proper evidence such as randomised control trials that support the use or Nattokinase. Indeed there is evidence of the harm that can be caused by switching from warfarin to Nattokinse, e.g. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Also webmd, webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingre..., considers there is insufficient evidence for its use to prevent stroke.

For a scientific analysis, see:

examine.com/supplements/nat...

If "natural" products are perceived as superior, then warfarin is a tried and tested compound. It is made from fermented sweet clover.

I don't see INR testing as a problem. It takes 2 minutes every 2 weeks to self-test.

Glendafellows profile image
Glendafellows in reply toMarkS

How do you get the strips for self test in USA?

MarkS profile image
MarkS in reply toGlendafellows

I'm in the UK and get them from the NHS. In the US I guess over the internet. There are boxes available on Ebay at a reasonable price.

Emgee profile image
Emgee

Hello, I know about fermented soybean, it is a Chinese item and bought in Asian food stores. also called fermented beancake. It is true that you either love it or hate it. I have heard people refer to it as Chinese cheese, as very strong flavour. but it is used sparingly in stir frying various Asian dishes, like bok choy and some just use it by spreading a thin layer over hot white steamed rice. To my knowledge, it is used in very small amounts as it has a very strong taste, and I have heard it is know to be an immune system booster and probiotic. It is sold in jars and preserved in wine, people buy it plain or with red pepper to make it spicy. It is rather inexpensive in Asian stores.

Emgee profile image
Emgee

Are your triggers for AF through foods? I have heard people say their esisodes of tachycardia and AF are triggered by indigestion episodes and blame them on the vagus nerve being stimulated and setting off their hearts. Is this the case with you?

Don't know about soybeans, but perhaps if you eat enough of those you will stay away from sugars. Here is what I found that triggers my Afib:

--------------------------------------

After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt??

Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer

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Offcut in reply to

I can see the logic in that. However With a memory like a goldfish I have a problem logging things down unless I am in one place?

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