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Health Benefits of DIM

By WebMD Editorial Contributors

 

Researchers are looking into the anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting effects of diindolylmethane (DIM), a compound commonly found in cruciferous vegetables including:

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage‌
• Cauliflower

DIM supplements appear to help adjust the hormone estrogen. A few clinical trials have shown that it supports healthy estrogen levels, lowering the risk of certain cancers and diseases like lupus that are linked to estrogen.

Research shows that about one in three cancer deaths is related to poor nutrition and could be prevented. Scientists see lower cancer risks in people who eat a lot of vegetables. That’s why DIM is so intriguing.

The DIM compound may have several estrogen-related effects in your body:

• Helps prevent the effects of estrogen on cells
• Slows some cancer cells
• Lowers toxins produced by your body’s natural metabolism
• Boosts antioxidants
• Promotes weight loss
• Enhances memory
• Improves mood
• Reduces symptoms of PMS
• Supports cardiovascular health
• Promotes good muscle development
• Improves prostate health for men

How to Include DIM in Your Diet

Even if you eat plenty of veggies, you may not get much DIM if cruciferous vegetables aren’t a regular part of your meals. Supplements can help. Here’s what to know:

It’s not just for women.

You may think of estrogen as only a female hormone, but it’s not. Men also benefit from DIM. Some of their testosterone changes into estrogen and is metabolized in the liver. Levels of a certain kind of estrogen may lead to higher risks of cancer in men, just as it can in women.

Improving your diet.

Along with supplements, include cruciferous vegetables in your diet. The best way to get any nutrient is through healthy eating. If you don’t like them by themselves, include them in smoothies or baked dishes. You’ll also benefit from the other vitamins, minerals, and fiber they provide.

‌Supplements are more effective.

One study found that DIM supplements are more effective than DIM that comes from food. Supplements may be boosted for better absorption.

 

When your Estrogen is Off…

You feel pretty bad, often having no clue the reason is an estrogen imbalance!

Estrogen that is not properly metabolized can lead to:

• weight gain
• low energy
• moodiness
• imbalances of testosterone or progesterone levels
• and an overall feeling of just not being yourself

 

Women’s Wellness

Imbalances in hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone, can significantly influence a woman’s monthly cycle. Excess estrogens are linked to irregular, heavy, or uncomfortable menstrual cycles. These hormone imbalances can also contribute to breast tenderness, bloating, and mood changes related to PMS.

Everyday Wellness Benefits for Women:

• Support for a smooth monthly transition*
• Balancing of hormone levels related to breast tenderness, mood changes, and other symptoms that occur before menses*
• Promotes the clearance of estrogen-mimicking toxins encountered in daily life – like those toxins found in pesticides, herbicides, and plastics*

 

Long-term Benefits for Women:

• Supports breast, cervical, and uterine health*
• Improves the ratio of healthy-to-less-healthy estrogen*
• Offers chemoprotective effects from its long-lasting antioxidant support*

 

Not Just for Women!

Although the body’s process to balance and detoxify estrogen is similar in both men and women, the benefits are very different.

Wellness Benefits for Men:

• Enhances the level of testosterone*
• Supports prostate health*
• Promotes an optimal ratio of estrogen to testosterone*
• Men with excess estrogen can develop enlarged breast tissue or experience less than ideal erectile function. DIM Advantage assists with reduction of estrogen receptor activation in areas of high receptor density, such as in breast and erectile tissue*
• Reducing excess estrogen aids in physical fitness, energy, and weight management*

 

Still Not Convinced?

 

Let’s take a step back first. Remember when the buzz was that cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) help prevent breast cancer? That’s because they contain a compound called indole-3-carbinol. When indole-3-carbinol hits your stomach acid, a chemical reaction converts it to diindolylmethane (DIM), and that’s what works its magic.

You could eat a giant serving bowl of broccoli and cabbage to get the researched dose of DIM, and veggies are obviously necessary for overall health. But there’s a catch. The veggies that contain indole-3-carbinol are the same ones that contain goitrogenic compounds — compounds that mess with your thyroid.

If you have thyroid problems, you have to pay attention to goitrogens. There’s a two-way cause-effect relationship between your thyroid and excess estrogen. You can still have your broccoli and cabbage with a lazy thyroid. You don’t want piles of it, though. If you take DIM in a capsule, you avoid those extra compounds and the resulting thyroid pitfalls.

The benefits of DIM go way beyond breast cancer prevention. Keep reading to find out what DIM can do for weight loss, acne, menopause and more.

More from DIM

The list of uses for diindolylmethane is growing as research on the topic expands. There is science behind benefits of DIM for things like:

• Hormonal acne
• Preventing negative effects of testosterone supplementation
• Estrogen dominance
• Weight loss
• Potential cancer therapy
• Thyroid disorders
• Menopause

Science is emerging and the results are promising. Here are the more noteworthy findings around DIM so far.

Is DIM an estrogen blocker?

 

You’ll see people using DIM as an estrogen blocker, but that’s not exactly how it works. Your body will continue to produce the estrogen it would have produced without DIM. Xenoestrogens (estrogen imitators from your personal and household products and environment) still make their way inside your body as they would without DIM.

More accurately, DIM works two ways. First, it blocks the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. Second, it converts bad estrogens into good estrogen metabolites.

“Good” estrogen vs. “bad” estrogen

A lot of women and a substantial portion of men are either aware or suspect they are estrogen dominant — they have too much estrogen relative to other hormones.

It’s not enough to demonize all estrogens. Certain estrogens have a positive action on the body, while others cause problems.

Find Out If You’re Estrogen Dominant Now

Good estrogen:

There’s a bit of controversy as to whether 2-hydroxyestrone (2-OHE1) causes cancer or prevents it. It’s tricky because so many other factors go into DNA damage and tumor formation. So far, evidence points to 2-OHE1 as a cancer preventive.

Healthy levels of 2-OHE1 are associated with:

• Lower body fat and more muscle
• Higher quality collagen in the skin and joints
• Healthy bone density
• Proper cholesterol levels (in animal models)

2-OHE1 also serves as a strong antioxidant, protecting the body from damaging free radicals.

Bad estrogens:

Levels of 16-alphy-hydroxy-estrone (16-OHE1), the “bad” estrogen, are elevated in women and research animals with breast cancer. Newer research takes it a step further, pointing out that it’s not the individual levels that matter — rather, it’s the ratio of good estrogen to bad estrogen. If your estrogen metabolism favors 2-OHE1, you’re less likely to experience the negative effects of estrogen, including pre-menopausal and post-menopausal breast cancer

Although 4-hydroxyestrone (4-OHE1) gets far less research attention in estrogen studies, the research that is out there confirms it as a cancer-causing estrogen. It deserves more scrutiny for its influence on cancer because of its ability to alter DNA without even hooking up to an estrogen receptor.

These estrogen metabolites are the ones responsible for all of the problems you may attribute to estrogen, including PMS, fibroids, endometriosis, water retention, acne, low sex drive and more.

One simple trip to your local LabCorp can get this all figured out for you.  But, first, you MUST VISIT Elitehealthonline.com

What DIM does to your estrogen metabolite ratio

 

Researchers showed that DIM and its precursor, I3C, adjust your ratios of estrogen metabolites and protect your body in several ways:

• Encourage estrogens to metabolize into the protective 2
• Inhibit carcinogenic 4-OHE1
• Induce tumor cell death, preventing tumor cells from replicating

DIM as a hormonal acne treatment

 

Do you have hormonal acne? Here are a few telltale signs of hormonal acne:

• Does your acne appear at the same time in your menstrual cycle each month?
• Is your acne the deep, painful, cystic variety that doesn’t easily pop? (Don’t try to pop it…but you know the kind of pimples these are.)
• Do you see your acne along the chin, jawline, or cheeks?

If this sounds like you, you might benefit from DIM.

Hormonal acne results from an imbalance of good estrogens, bad estrogens, and testosterone. When you supplement with DIM, it works to prevent the bad estrogen pathways and strengthens the good estrogens and testosterone. When everything is in balance, you skin will have the proper support to stay clear and healthy.

DIM for weight loss

 

People report weight loss with diindolylmethane supplementation, for several reasons.

For one, bad estrogens signal to your body to hold onto weight, especially in the hips and thighs. If you have a better balance of estrogen metabolites, you’re less likely to hold onto unnecessary body fat.

Second, DIM suppresses the formation of new fat cells. It also stimulates burning the fat cells you have and the fat you eat through your diet.

Tip of the Day…

Take a daily or weekly inventory.  Now that you’ve heard all about DIM, pay attention to your body and what it might be telling you.  Do your own research, don’t just take our word for it…you’ll see how and why DIM is becoming more and more popular.  It’s a start to getting you back to your bad self again.  It’s just ONE simple thing to add to your life that will make a BIG impact.  Why not feel the best you can feel at any age?  Cheers to feeling BETTER THAN EVER!!!