SuHealthy circulation supports everything you love doing, from morning walks and challenging hikes to staying energized for the people who matter. But as we get older, one cardiovascular risk deserves more attention: blood clots.
Understanding the warning signs of dangerous clots, and the everyday habits that support healthy blood flow, can help you make informed decisions about your long-term health.
Why Does Blood Clot Risk Increase After 40?
Blood clot risk does not suddenly appear on your 40th birthday. It increases progressively with age. A published epidemiological review found that the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) approximately doubles with every decade after age 40. In population terms, risk in the 60s may be roughly four times that in the 40s, although individual risk varies considerably.
Why the change? Aging often brings more medical conditions, hospitalizations, surgeries, periods of limited mobility, and changes in vascular health. These factors can contribute to slower venous blood flow or increase the blood's tendency to clot.
Age is one factor, not a diagnosis. Knowing your personal risk matters more than worrying about a birthday.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
Clotting is a normal protective process. When you cut yourself, the body forms a mesh of a protein called fibrin to help stop bleeding. Trouble develops when a clot forms where it should not.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a clot in a deep vein, most often in the leg. If part of that clot breaks away and travels to the lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism (PE), a potentially life-threatening blockage.
Warning Signs of DVT
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Swelling in one leg or arm, sometimes developing suddenly
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Pain, tenderness, or cramping, often in the calf
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Skin that feels unusually warm
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Redness or other discoloration around the affected area
Seek urgent medical evaluation for suspected DVT. About half of people with DVT have no noticeable symptoms, so risk factors matter even without obvious warning signs.
Warning Signs of PE
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Sudden, unexplained shortness of breath
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Chest pain that may worsen with deep breathing or coughing
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Rapid or irregular heartbeat
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Coughing up blood
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Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
Call 911 immediately if PE is suspected. A pulmonary embolism can occur without noticeable DVT symptoms. Do not try to manage possible DVT or PE with supplements or wait for symptoms to pass.
What Increases Your Risk of Blood Clots?
Beyond age, important risk factors include recent surgery or hospitalization, prolonged bed rest, long periods of immobility, a previous clot, family history, obesity, active cancer, and certain inherited clotting disorders. Pregnancy, estrogen-containing medications, and some chronic illnesses also affect risk.
Risk factors can add together. For example, an adult over 50 recovering from knee surgery who is spending much of the day sitting may need a clinician-directed prevention plan. If you are preparing for surgery or have experienced a clot before, discuss personalized precautions with your healthcare team.
How Do Systemic Enzymes Interact With Unwanted Proteins?
The body naturally balances two processes: forming protective fibrin when needed and breaking fibrin down after its job is complete. That second process is called fibrinolysis, and it normally relies on the body's own plasmin enzyme system.
Scientists have studied several supplemental proteolytic enzymes, meaning enzymes capable of breaking proteins into smaller fragments. Vascular Defense™ combines four of them:
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Nattokinase: Derived from the fermentation of soybeans. Laboratory studies show fibrin-degrading activity. In a small placebo-controlled study of 12 healthy men, a single dose changed several blood markers related to fibrin breakdown and coagulation. Whether this translates to fewer clinical clots remains unproven.
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Lumbrokinase: A group of enzymes originally isolated from earthworms. Early clinical and laboratory research has examined fibrin breakdown and the body's fibrinolytic signaling, including tissue plasminogen activator activity.
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Serratiopeptidase (serrapeptase): A protein-digesting bacterial enzyme studied for inflammatory and tissue-related effects. Good-quality evidence that oral serrapeptase clears fibrin deposits or dangerous clots in people is lacking.
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Bromelain: A family of pineapple-derived proteases. Laboratory research demonstrates interactions with fibrin and fibrinogen, but evidence of meaningful clot-related benefits from oral supplementation in humans remains limited.
These mechanisms are scientifically interesting, but they do not establish that Vascular Defense dissolves blood clots, prevents DVT or PE, or substitutes for prescribed anticoagulants.
How Nitric Oxide Helps Relax Blood Vessels
Healthy circulation depends on more than the normal turnover of proteins. Blood vessels also need to respond to your body's changing demands.
Nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling molecule produced by the endothelium, the thin cell layer lining blood vessels. It tells vascular smooth muscle to relax, allowing vessels, particularly arteries, to widen. This is called vasodilation. It helps regulate blood pressure and blood flow so oxygen and nutrients can reach working muscles and other tissues.
Beets and leafy greens provide dietary nitrates that the body can convert into nitric oxide. A 2024 umbrella review found that dietary nitrate supplementation improved several measures of vascular function and modestly reduced blood pressure across the studies evaluated. Results can differ by population, dose, and study design.
Importantly, promoting vessel relaxation is not the same as preventing or treating venous blood clots.
Which Vascular Defense Ingredients Support Vessel Flexibility?
SunNutrition formulated Vascular Defense with nitric oxide-supporting botanicals and complementary plant extracts. The ingredients most relevant to vessel function include:
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Beet Root Extract: A source of dietary nitrate that supports the nitrate-to-nitric-oxide pathway and has been studied for blood pressure and endothelial function.
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Red Spinach Extract: Another nitrate-containing botanical. Small human studies have documented increased blood nitrate levels, although effects on performance and other outcomes are mixed.
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Garlic Extract: Studied for endothelial function and arterial stiffness. A review of randomized trials found promising but inconsistent results, depending on the garlic preparation and population.
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Citrus Bergamot: Provides polyphenols being investigated for cardiovascular and endothelial support, with less definitive human evidence for vessel flexibility.
Ginger, cayenne, and holy basil-derived niacin round out the formula's broader nutritional approach to vascular wellness.
A useful distinction: Most research on “vessel flexibility” examines arterial stiffness or endothelial function, not the elasticity of leg veins or the function of venous valves. No Vascular Defense ingredient has been shown conclusively to restore vein elasticity or prevent DVT.
Everyday Habits That Help Protect Circulation After 40
A strong circulation routine starts with fundamentals:
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Move regularly. Walking and calf-muscle contractions help return blood from the legs toward the heart.
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Break up long periods of sitting. Stand, stretch, or walk periodically, especially during travel.
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Stay appropriately hydrated and maintain a healthy body weight.
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Avoid smoking and make time for consistent physical activity.
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Know your risk. Ask about individualized precautions for hospitalization, surgery, hormone therapy, or a history of clots.
For people at elevated risk, medical measures such as prescribed anticoagulants or properly selected compression devices may be necessary. Nutrition cannot replace those safeguards.
Make Healthy Blood Flow Part of Your Long-Term Routine
Staying strong after 40 is not about chasing shortcuts. It is about supporting the systems that keep you active, mobile, and ready for what comes next.
Vascular Defense™ brings together systemic enzymes and nitric oxide-supporting botanicals in SunNutrition's CLEAN + FLOW approach to everyday vascular wellness.
Explore Vascular Defense™ as one potential part of an active-aging routine, alongside movement, nourishing food, and appropriate medical care.
Safety note: Vascular Defense is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent blood clots or any disease. Because ingredients such as nattokinase and bromelain may affect clotting or interact with medications, consult your clinician before use, particularly if you take blood thinners or antiplatelet drugs, have a bleeding disorder, or are planning surgery.
What Is Fibrin in the Blood? Learn More >>
Research and Trusted Resources
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Epidemiology of Venous Thromboembolism, Seminars in Vascular Medicine. Documents the approximate doubling of VTE incidence each decade after 40.
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CDC: Signs and Symptoms of DVT and PE. Guidance on recognizing potential blood clots and seeking medical attention.
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A Single-Dose of Oral Nattokinase Potentiates Thrombolysis and Anti-Coagulation Profiles, Scientific Reports, 2015. A small human study examining fibrinolytic and coagulation biomarkers.
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Changes in Coagulation and Tissue Plasminogen Activator After Treatment With Lumbrokinase, 2001. Preliminary clinical research examining fibrinolytic markers in stroke patients.
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The Effects of Dietary Nitrate on Blood Pressure and Vascular Health, Journal of Functional Foods, 2024. An umbrella review and updated meta-analysis of vascular outcomes.
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The Effect of Garlic on Vascular Function, 2020. A systematic review of randomized clinical trials evaluating vascular reactivity and stiffness.