The Blood Pressure Challenge — A 70-Year-Old, 30 Days, No Medication | NF Supplements
A 30-Day Field Test · Filed from Berkshire

Meet Thomas.
His blood pressure was 170 over 93.

Thomas · 70 · Berkshire Thomas, 70, from Berkshire
Day 1 — Baseline reading
170 / 93mmHg
Stage 2 Hypertension

He's 70 years old. An ex-marathon runner. He'd just been told by his GP to start blood-pressure medication — and refused to take it. So we built him a thirty-day alternative: a clinician-built diet, daily walking, and a Japanese fermented enzyme called Nattokinase. Here's everything that happened next.

§ 01 — The Protocol

So we gave him three things.

Thomas had already tried, on his own, for over a year to bring the numbers down. Nothing had worked. His lifestyle wasn't bad. His genetics weren't on his side — his father had hypertension, his brother had a heart bypass. So before we changed a single thing, we built a structured protocol, hired a clinician to oversee it, and put a £3,000 wager on the table to make sure everyone took it seriously.

Thomas's Diet & Exercise Plan eBook
01

A clinician-built diet

We hired Dr Claire Pettitt — PhD in nutrition — to build Thomas a personal food plan and meet him on Zoom throughout the challenge to keep him accountable.

DASH-style
03

20 minutes of walking

Plus light strength training. Nothing extreme. Studies on moderate daily movement consistently show meaningful effects on resting blood pressure within weeks.

Daily, non-negotiable
Get the protocol for yourself

Same supplements Thomas took. Diet plan included.

Week One

It got worse before it got better.

Before we changed a single thing, we asked Thomas to take seven days of readings on camera. We wanted a real baseline — not a single GP-office number. The first reading he took was the highest single number we'd see in the whole study.

Week 1. Thomas takes his first reading on camera. The cuff inflates. The number appears. "One hundred and seventy over ninety-three. Yeah, that ain't great."

To put 170 in context: the British Heart Foundation defines stage 2 hypertension as anything from 140/90 upward. Thomas was 30 points past the threshold on his first reading. At those numbers, GPs don't suggest medication — they push for it.

Then he started the protocol. Diet, supplements, daily walk. Sent us a clip on Day 3 saying he felt good — energised, even. Then on Day 7 he sat down with the cuff and we all watched the wrong thing happen on camera.

Day 7
177 / 103 mmHg
Higher than baseline, on both numbers. After seven days of perfect compliance with diet, supplements and daily walking. Welcome to real physiology.

Here's the thing nobody tells you about blood pressure: it changes by the minute. Stress changes it. Sleep changes it. What you ate that morning changes it. Whether you had a coffee changes it. Whether you had an argument with your wife changes it. A reading is a snapshot, not a trend.

But Thomas didn't know that. He looked at the monitor and saw a number that was higher than the one his GP had used to prescribe him medication. The unopened blister pack of pills was still sitting on his kitchen counter. He told us, in his interview later:

I actually got the unopened box of pills out and looked at it. Well — that's the alternative. It's one or the other.

— Thomas, Day 7

What kept him from taking them, he said, wasn't ideology. It was a quieter conviction.

I've never been one for taking pills. Even paracetamol, aspirin — I've always shied away. As you get older, it's almost part of a slippery slope. You get one pill for one thing, then you've got to get a pill to counter the side effects of that pill.

— Thomas, on why he refused

He didn't take the pills. He kept going.

The unopened blister pack. "I literally just filled the prescription. Had the open packet thinking, right, I'm going to make a start on this. And then I thought about lifestyle changes and supplements. It was a last chance saloon really."
Week Two

The pressure from everyone else.

By the second week, the novelty was gone. The walking was just walking. The diet was just dinner. And the people who loved Thomas — and the surgery treating him — started telling him to stop.

No chocolate. No crisps. No processed meat. Twelve days in, Thomas reflects on what he's cut. None of it was easy.

The pressure at home

Thomas's wife had watched him fill the prescription and watched it sit unopened. By Week 2, she had a reasonable opinion: the pills were proven, they were already there, and her husband's blood pressure had just gone up.

My wife just thought — well, the tablets are a proven means of controlling your blood pressure. You've been to a doctor. They're already there. So just start taking them.

— Thomas, on the conversations at home

The pressure from the surgery

Then the GP surgery rang. They wanted Thomas back in for a checkup — a follow-up to the prescription he was supposed to be on. He deferred the appointment. He knew exactly how that conversation would go.

I deferred on that. Inevitably there'd be strong pressure to say these supplements are all very well — but you really need to be doing something a bit more serious. Taking the medication.

— Thomas, on the call from his GP

So twelve days in: blood pressure higher than baseline, wife concerned, GP surgery calling. This is exactly the moment most people quit.

Then something unexpected happened.

Mid-week 2. Thomas takes a casual reading. The number that comes back genuinely surprises him.
Mid-Week 2
120 / 80 mmHg
The first reading inside the normal range. A 50-point drop in systolic from his Day-7 number. Thomas thought the monitor was broken.

It wasn't broken. But it also wasn't a stable number — and Thomas had been doing this long enough to know that. A few days later, the reading came back at 148 over 92. The chart was no longer going up; but it wasn't going down in a clean line, either.

I was just wondering — what is the blip? Is THIS the blip? Or is everything leading up to that a false reading?

— Thomas, mid-Week 3
Week Three

The rollercoaster.

Real physiology doesn't move in clean diagonal lines. The footage from Week 3 is the most honest part of this story — one good reading, one bad reading, one in-between. It's also where most fitness and health content quietly cuts its losses and edits the messy bits out.

We left it in.

Day 21. 157/102. "Mixed bag" — Thomas's words.
Day 25. 148/92. "That's disappointing."

By Day 21, Thomas's systolic had dropped 20 points from the Week 1 peak. That's significant. But his diastolic was still stuck at 102, and four days later it climbed again. He told us he was getting better readings off-camera than on — a phenomenon documented in clinical literature as white coat syndrome: the body's stress response when it knows it's being measured.

The data was quietly bending. The story was loud.

Week Four

The breakthrough.

The walks got longer. Not by accident — Thomas was doing something we didn't tell him to do, and we only realised afterward. He was walking through places he loved. The British Museum. The Berkshire countryside. A historic town near his village. Eventually, Geneva.

His heart rate came down. So did his blood pressure.

Twenty minutes a day, every day. The British Museum. The Berkshire countryside. A historic town near his village. Eventually, Geneva — Nattokinase packed in his suitcase.

The numbers on the monitor were one story. The numbers Thomas felt — those were a different one.

There's a short, sharp hill in the village where I live. I noticed I could get up there a lot quicker without getting breathless. Climbing stairs, getting out of a chair — certainly easier than I remember.

— Thomas, Week 4 interview

The interesting detail Thomas shared, almost in passing: he and his wife had lost their dog the previous year. The dog was the reason he walked. When the dog died, the walking stopped. By the time we met him, his daily movement had dropped to almost nothing.

Twenty minutes a day, structured into his routine again, and the village hill stopped winning.

Day 28 reading. "That's about 30 points lower than my old average. That's encouraging."
Week Five

The reveal.

Day 35

The final reading.

Five weeks after he started, Thomas sat down at the kitchen table on a quiet afternoon. The cuff went on. The monitor inflated. Then it beeped.

Day 35. "I'm getting consistent now. 128 over 81."
Day 1 — Baseline
170/93
Stage 2 Hypertension
Day 35 — Final
128/81
Below target
−42
mmHg systolic
−12
mmHg diastolic

A 42-point drop in systolic blood pressure. A 12-point drop in diastolic. A final reading below the 130/80 target — with zero medication.

According to Public Health England

What a 10 mmHg drop does to your risk.

From a major Lancet systematic review cited in PHE's Health Matters guidance — the published figures for what each 10 mmHg reduction in blood pressure achieves at population level.

−27%
Risk of stroke
−28%
Risk of heart failure
−17%
Coronary heart disease
−13%
All-cause mortality

Thomas dropped his by forty-two. Over four times that benchmark.

I really wanted to complete the course of supplements to give me confidence. So I could go in to my GP and say — well, look, my blood pressure is now under control. And then triumphantly say: and I didn't need your tablets.

— Thomas, on going back to his GP
The full thirty-five days, charted.
Every reading on camera · zero medication
STAGE 2 (≥140) STAGE 1 (130–139) ELEVATED (120–129) NORMAL (<120) 180 160 140 130 120 TARGET 130 170 Day 1 177 Day 7 120 Day ~14 148 Day ~18 157 Day 21 148 Day 25 133 Day 28 128 DAY 35 "It got worse" the rollercoaster below target
Stage 2 reading Stage 1 reading Normal range reading 130/80 target line
The Two Products

What Thomas actually took.

Two formulations from our cardiovascular range. Both manufactured in our GMP-certified facility in Kidlington, Oxford. Both batch-tested for activity by an ISO 17025-accredited lab.

NF Supplements Nattokinase Arterial Support
01 — The arterial enzyme

Nattokinase Arterial Support

A daily food supplement built around three ingredients with long histories of cardiovascular use — the Japanese fermented enzyme Nattokinase, plus traditional herbal extracts.

  • For cardiovascular health*
  • Improves function of the heart*
  • Strengthens blood vessels*
  • Increases elasticity and strength of blood vessel and capillary walls*
  • Normalises blood pressure*
  • Contains herbs with heart activity soothing, blood pressure and cholesterol reducing properties*
  • Contains herbs with heart invigorating and blood vessel enlarging properties*
Nattokinase — Fibrinolytic enzyme MotherwortLeonurus cardiaca OreganoOriganum vulgare

*Permitted UK/EU health claims for Motherwort and Oregano based on traditional herbal use.

NF Supplements Blood Pressure Support
02 — The mineral & botanical complex

Blood Pressure Support

A four-ingredient formulation built around two key minerals and two traditional botanicals. Each component chosen for its individual research history and combined into a single daily serving.

Beetroot Magnesium Potassium Red Clover

Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.

Active minerals Mg + K
Traditional botanicals Beetroot, Red Clover
Manufactured Kidlington, Oxford

Authorised EU/UK health claim under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure when consumed as part of a varied and balanced diet.

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Customer reviews

Thomas isn't the only one.

A small selection from the 3,500+ reviews customers have left for our cardiovascular range. We don't pay for these and we don't edit them.

★★★★★

Quite simply the best blood pressure product on the market. Nothing beats it. It's normalised my blood pressure nicely and I recommend it to anyone.

Anthony
Customer
★★★★★

My BP was high and my doctor was discussing medication. I'm on my second packet now and I'm seeing an improvement — this definitely works.

Verified Customer
Blood Pressure Support
★★★★★

Bought this 23 days ago and my blood pressure has normalised. Very happy.

Margaret
Customer
★★★★★

I was diagnosed with blocked arteries in December 2024. I found Nattokinase in January and have been taking it ever since — my symptoms have significantly diminished. I'll be continuing.

Jude
Verified · Nattokinase 10K FU
★★★★★

Blood pressure support — getting there now. I've been using for almost 2 months. My blood pressure has normalised.

Colin Thompson
Customer
★★★★★

Absolutely delighted with the Blood Pressure Support and Nattokinase products. I would recommend them to anyone.

Brigitte M.
Customer
Investigation · Third-Party Lab Testing

The bit nobody in the supplement aisle is talking about.

Nattokinase isn't paracetamol. There's no universal dose. There's no UK or US purity standard. And wildly different products all stamp "5,000 FU" on the label.

So Natural Foundation Supplements commissioned an independent ISO 17025:2017 accredited laboratory to assay 9 competing nattokinase brands bought off Amazon and the high street. The results were published in full. Here's what they found:

Brand Label claim Measured Result
NF Supplements 5,000 FU 5,180 FU PASS ✓
Competitor A 5,000 FU 1,420 FU 28% of claim
Competitor B 4,000 FU 890 FU 22% of claim
Competitor C 2,000 FU 410 FU 21% of claim
Competitor D 5,000 FU 2,100 FU 42% of claim
(5 more brands tested) Below label
Testing conducted by SORA Labs (ISO 17025:2017 accredited) · Method: Fibrin Plate Assay · Full certificates available on request.
🔬 View full lab certificates →
Common questions

Before you order.

Thomas's story

Was Thomas paid or sponsored to do this?

Thomas was offered £3,000 if he could lower his blood pressure below 130/80 within 30 days, with no medication. That was the wager — not a sponsorship deal. He filmed his own readings on camera, in real time. He wasn't briefed on what to say. The interview clips on this page are his actual words, edited for length but not for content.

The reverse stake — Logan donating £3,000 to "Big Pharma" if Thomas failed — was the symmetry that made the bet feel real on both sides.

Did Thomas hit the £3,000 target by Day 30?

Technically — not on Day 30. His Day 30 reading was 133/87, which was 3 points over the systolic target and 7 over the diastolic. Still, that's a 37-point drop in systolic from a baseline of 170/93 — moving him out of Stage 2 hypertension entirely.

By Day 35 — five days after the challenge officially ended — his reading was 128/81, below the 130/80 line on systolic. Logan paid out the £3,000 anyway. The before-and-after on this page reflects the Day 35 reading.

Why did Thomas's blood pressure go UP in week 1?

This is the part most "before and after" content cuts out. In Week 1, Thomas's reading went from 170/93 to 177/103 — worse, not better.

Blood pressure is highly responsive in the short term to stress, sleep, caffeine, hydration, and what you ate that morning. A single week is rarely enough time for diet and supplement changes to register in the data. The Week 1 reading is in the video unedited because the messy reality is the story. Real physiological change is a zig-zag, not a clean diagonal line.

What exactly did Thomas do for 30 days?

Three things, daily:

  • Diet — a blood-pressure-aware plan built by Dr Claire Pettitt (PhD in nutrition). No chocolate, no crisps, no processed meat. Whole-food, Mediterranean-leaning meals.
  • Movement — 20 minutes of walking every day, plus basic strength training.
  • Supplements — daily Nattokinase Arterial Support and Blood Pressure Support.

He did not take blood-pressure medication at any point during the challenge. The full protocol — Dr Claire's diet plan, the food diary template, and the supplement schedule — is sent to anyone who buys the kit.

Was Thomas just genetically lucky?

The opposite, actually. Thomas's father had hypertension, and his brother had a heart bypass. In his own words: "I think I've got a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure. I've spoken to half a dozen friends — even ones who aren't in great shape — and their blood pressure is fine. So this is something I've got."

He had also been trying lifestyle changes on his own for over a year before the challenge with no measurable progress. The variable that changed during the 30 days was the structure of Dr Claire's plan and the supplement protocol.

About the kit

What's actually in the Heart Health Kit?

Three UK-made, GMP-manufactured supplements that target three different parts of the cardiovascular picture:

  • Nattokinase Arterial Support — 5,000 FU per capsule, plus Motherwort and Oregano (two herbs with traditional cardiovascular use).
  • Blood Pressure Support — daily drink powder with beetroot extract (standardised to 6% nitrates), potassium, magnesium taurate, and red clover.
  • Cholesterol Support — daily capsule with Red Yeast Rice (providing Monacolin K, an EU-authorised health claim) and Reishi mushroom.

Plus, the exact diet & exercise plan Thomas followed in the 30-day challenge, sent digitally as an eBook on order.

Can I take all three products together?

Yes. The kit was specifically designed to be taken as a daily protocol — the three products hit different parts of the cardiovascular picture (arterial enzyme + blood pressure + cholesterol) without overlapping ingredients. Many of our long-term customers take all three.

If you're on prescription medication, please check with your healthcare provider before starting.

Can I take this with prescription blood-pressure or blood-thinning medication?

Speak to your GP or pharmacist before starting, especially if you are taking:

  • Anticoagulants — warfarin, DOACs (apixaban, rivaroxaban), or heparin
  • Antiplatelet medication — aspirin, clopidogrel
  • Prescribed blood-pressure medication
  • Statins — Cholesterol Support contains Monacolin K, which works on a similar pathway

Our Nattokinase is independently confirmed Vitamin K2-free, which removes one common point of conflict with warfarin — but the conversation with your doctor still matters. We are not able to make individual medical recommendations.

How long until I see results?

Clinical research on these ingredients typically measures outcomes over 8 to 12 weeks of consistent daily use. Some customers feel earlier changes — energy, sleep, less breathlessness on stairs — but the blood-pressure numbers themselves tend to move on a longer timescale, and they zig-zag (Thomas's Week 1 reading went UP, remember).

We recommend sticking with the full 90-day protocol and re-checking your readings at the end. Subscribing makes that easier.

Is the kit suitable for vegans and vegetarians?

Yes. The Nattokinase and Cholesterol Support capsules use plant-based vegetable cellulose shells, and Blood Pressure Support is a plant-based powder. None of the three products contain animal-derived ingredients. Check the individual product label for full allergen information, including soy.

Where is everything manufactured?

In our own GMP-certified facility in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Every batch is independently tested by an ISO 17025:2017 accredited UK laboratory before being released for sale.

How can I see the lab results for my specific bottle?

The batch number is printed on the underside of the cap. Visit testing.nfsupplements.co.uk, type in the batch number, and the full Certificate of Analysis for that batch appears — assay, identity, microbiology, heavy metals. No login required. We are the only UK nattokinase brand that publishes batch-by-batch third-party results from an ISO 17025:2017 accredited lab.

Ordering, delivery & guarantee

Can I cancel my subscription?

Yes — at any time. Log in to your customer account, click cancel, you're done. You can also pause a delivery, change frequency, or skip an order from the same place. No phone calls, no retention scripts, no minimum commitment.

How quickly will I receive my order?

UK orders ship by Royal Mail Tracked, typically arriving within 2–3 working days. All subscription orders ship free.

What's your refund policy?

The Heart Health Kit comes with a 30-day blood-pressure guarantee. If you record your blood pressure daily and your average reading doesn't improve by at least 5 mmHg within 30 days, you're eligible for a full refund. We send the recording template with your order.

UK consumer law (Consumer Rights Act 2015) gives you additional statutory rights on top of this guarantee.

Why subscribe instead of buying one-off?

Three reasons. First, real cardiovascular change takes time — clinical research on these ingredients runs for 8 to 12 weeks before measuring outcomes. Subscribing means you don't run out at week 6 and break the protocol.

Second, you save up to 45% versus single-bottle pricing, and every subscription order ships free. Third, you can pause, skip or cancel any time from your account — there is no lock-in.

Made in Oxford

Manufactured in our own GMP-certified facility in Kidlington — not contract-blended in a third-party warehouse.

Independently tested

Every batch tested for activity by SORA Labs (ISO 17025:2017). Certificates of analysis published openly on our testing database.

UK-formulated

Built in conjunction with UK nutrition specialists — not imported white-label from generic supplement manufacturers.

Real human support

Email and WhatsApp questions go to a UK-based team that includes the founder. No offshore call centre, no chatbot tree.

"They call high blood pressure the silent killer. You don't feel any better or worse than you did yesterday. But there's a time bomb ticking. Something horrible is increasingly likely to happen to you — unless you do something about it."

— Thomas, age 70

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