The research report introduced here was presented by an international team including researchers from the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center and researchers from overseas.

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between nutrients such as soy foods, isoflavones, and vitamin K and the onset of atrial fibrillation. As a result, 222 people developed atrial fibrillation. The analysis showed that among women, those who consumed the most natto had a cautiously lower risk of atrial fibrillation compared to those who consumed the least.

On the other hand, no relationship was observed with natto intake in men. Additionally, a moderate amount of miso intake was associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation in men. Furthermore, in women, a higher intake of vitamin K was associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation. However, no clear association was found between total intake of tofu, soybeans, isobone, etc. and atrial fibrillation in both men and women.

Atrial fibrillation is a disease that is often seen in clinical practice, where the atrium silently thickens without adequate suppression, resulting in irregular heartbeats. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, etc. may appear, but there are also cases where the condition is asymptomatic and can be detected during a medical examination.

Diagnosis requires an electrocardiogram, and if symptoms are irregular, long-term recording tests may be required. Treatment options include cerebral infarction prevention using anticoagulants, drug therapy, and catheter treatment.

First of all, I think this is an excellent study that prospectively followed a large number of Japanese people over a very long period of time.

Among women, it was found that those who frequently consumed natto were less likely to have atrial fibrillation. In particular, women who consumed large amounts of vitamin K, which is found in natto, had a significantly reduced incidence of atrial fibrillation. It is important to note that the phenomenon of having less atrial fibrillation is simply a relationship that tends to occur together, and is not limited to cause and effect. On the other hand, no clear association was observed in men. No effect was seen with tofu or soybean foods as a whole, and the unique characteristics of fermented food, natto, may be related.

However, this does not mean that eating natto will always prevent the disease. In particular, if you are taking warfarin to prevent thrombosis by thinning the blood, please be aware that natto is prohibited.