‘Natto’ really is good for you; lowers death risk in certain cases
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People who eat fermented soy-based foods such as “natto” and “miso” on a daily basis reduce the risk of dying from a stroke or heart attack by 10 percent, according to a long-term study by the National Cancer Center.
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Researchers at the NCC started monitoring the health of about 90,000 adults, both male and female, in 1995, and spent 15 years looking into individual cases on average.
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The team members interviewed each individual to find out what they ate each day, and categorized them into five groups based on their consumption of soybeans and fermented soy-based food.
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The team analyzed the data after excluding the effects of other food items and drugs to reduce blood pressure.
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The group of males and females who consumed about 50 grams of fermented soy-based foods on a daily basis lowered their risk of death from certain diseases by about 10 percent compared with the group with the lowest consumption of this type of food.
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Natto generally is sold in 50-gram packages.
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The survey finding of a reduced death risk from certain diseases was particularly pronounced among female participants.
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When natto consumption was higher, the death rate caused by abnormalities in blood circulation, such as stroke and heart attack fell.
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Norie Sawada, analytical epidemiology section chief at the NCC, said, “Fermented soy-based food retains minerals and isoflavone, which are beneficial to human health.”
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The survey findings were reported in the British Medical Journal on Jan. 29. (https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m34)
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