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Diindolylmethane (DIM)
Diindolylmethane (DIM):
by Bodybuilding.com
What is it and where does it come from?
Diindolyl methane is a dietary indole found in cruciferous vegetables. DIM occurs naturally within the cruciferous vegetable plant after crushing or chewing. Plant enzymes produce DIM form precursors called glucosinolates.
What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?
It supports the activity of specific enzymes that imporve estrogen metabolism. Scientific research shows diindolylmethane increases the level of "good" estrogens (2-hydroxyestrogen) while reducing the level of "bad" estorgens (16-hydroxyestrogen).
The health benefits of "enhanced absorption" diindolylmethane are four-fold:
promotes healthy testosterone levels
promotes healthy estrogen metabolism
relieves PMS symptoms
promotes fat loss
supports healty breast, cervical, uterine and prostate tissues
How is DIM important in Health?
In men, diminished estrogen metabolism and estrogen accumulation are central problems associated with aging. DIM strongly promotes its own metabolism and in doing so increases a more active and beneficial metabolism of estrogen. This estrogen metabolism is better because it converts estradiol health promoting 2-hydoxy metabolites. These metabolites help free testosterone from its binding protein for greater testosterone activity and can reduce testosterone and estrogen stimulation of the prostate gland.
Together with a healthy diet and exercise, the metabolic shift from DIM results in a "younger" balance of testosterone to estrogen. DIM supplementation is compatible with natural testosterone replacement. DIM works very well for maintaining and increasing healthy testosterone levels.
Clinical Research Articles on Diindolylmethane (DIM):
TITLE:
Multifunctional aspects of the action of indole-3-carbinol as an antitumor agent.
Authors:
Bradlow HL; Sepkovic DW; Telang NT; Osborne MP
Author Affiliation:
Strang Cancer Research Laboratory,
New York, New York 10021, USA.
Abstract:
Previous studies from this laboratory have suggested that 2-hydroxyestrone is protective against breast cancer, whereas the other principal metabolite, 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone, and the lesser metabolite quantitatively, 4-hydroxyestrone, are potent carcinogens. Attempts to directly decrease the formation of the 16-hydroxylated metabolite were either unsuccessful or required such high levels of the therapeutic agent as to be impractical. On the other hand the concentration of the protective metabolite, 2-hydroxyestrone, proved to be readily modulated by a variety of agents, both in the direction of increased protection and the opposite direction, increased risk by a variety of agents and activities. We have focussed our attention on indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables, and its further metabolites in the body, diindolylmethane (DIM) and indolylcarbazole (ICZ), because of its relative safety and multifaceted activities. It has been shown that it induces CyP4501A1, increasing 2-hydroxylation of estrogens, leading to the protective 2-OHE1, and also decreases CyP1B1 sharply, inhibiting 4-hydroxylation of estradiol, thereby decreasing the formation of the carcinogenic 4-OHE1. In addition to these indirect effects as a result of altered estrogen metabolism, indole-3-carbinol has been shown to have direct effects on apoptosis and cyclin D, resulting in blockage of the cell cycle. In addition to its antitumor activity in animals, it has also been shown to be effective against HPV-mediated tumors in human patients. All of these responses make the study of its behavior as a therapeutic agent of considerable interest. Structure-Activity Relationship
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