Introduction to DIM (Diindolylmethane) Sold as:
BioResponse DIM #75
Would you like to be stronger and leaner? How about regaining your youthful balance of hormones? Whether you are an athlete interested in maintaining your competitive edge or someone who is just interested in successful aging, one thing is certain: You can't do it without your metabolism working at its best.
Diindolylmethane (DIM) is the dietary connection to a better metabolism. DIM, a natural phytonutrient (plant nutrient) found in cruciferous vegetables, improves metabolism -- the breakdown and synthesis of substances in the body -- by adjusting the balance of testosterone and estrogen, hormones that are active in both sexes. This improved hormonal balance, scientists have discovered, is a key to helping men and women reach their health and fitness goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
- An Overview of DIM
- Hormonal Balance for a Healthier Body
- DIM for Women -- Achieving Optimal Estrogen
Metabolism
- DIM for Men -- Activating Testosterone
- Getting Strong and Lean with DIM
- Easy Steps for Using DIM Supplements
These are excerpts from All About DIM -- written by
Michael A. Zeligs, MD, and A. Scott Connelly,
MD and published
by Avery, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc. The book can be ordered
by clicking here or you may receive a free
copy with every order of two bottles of BioResponse DIM #75.
The healthy effects of eating vegetables have been known for
many years. It is only recently, however, that scientists have
started to figure out exactly which substances in these foods
provide the benefits. DIM is one of these substances.
Q. What exactly is DIM?
A. Diindolylmethane, or DIM
for short, is a plant indole -- a plant compound with health-promoting
properties. DIM and other plant indoles are found in all cruciferous
vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. These plants have cultivated
for centuries and were initially used for medicines.
About twenty years ago, scientists discovered that when broccoli
was added to the diets of study animals, it could prevent certain
forms of cancer. In more recent scientific studies, this same
cancer protection was shown to result from simply adding supplemental
DIM or related plant indoles to the animals' diets in place of
the broccoli. Recently, regular use of supplementary DIM and
its indole relatives has shown that many of these health-promoting
effects arise from a beneficial shift in the balance of the sex
hormones, estrogen and testosterone.
When you chew raw or lightly cooked cruciferous vegetables,
plant enzymes -- substances that start a reaction -- are activated,
which allows DIM to enter your body. But to get the most benefit
from this indole, you would need to consume very large quantities
of raw vegetables each day. To overcome this problem, absorbable
forms of pure DIM have been developed as dietary supplements
that use special absorption-enhancing formulas. (See Chapter
6 for specific information about supplementing with DIM.)
Q. What exactly is DIM?
A. DIM stimulates more efficient
estrogen metabolism. Supplementing the diet with DIM and eating
cruciferous vegetables increases the specific aerobic metabolism
for estrogen, multiplying the chance for estrogen to be broken
down into its beneficial, or "good" estrogen metabolites.
These "good"estrogen metabolites are known as the 2-hydroxy
estrogens. Many of the benefits that are attributed to estrogen,
which include its ability to protect the heart and brain with
its antioxidant activity, are now known to come from these "good"
metabolites.
When DIM increases the "good" estrogen metabolites,
there is a simultaneous reduction in the levels of undesirable
or "bad" estrogen metabolites. These include the 16-hydroxy
estrogens, which are not antioxidants and can actually cause
cancer. Greater production of these "bad" estrogen
metabolites is promoted by obesity and exposure to a number of
manmade environmental chemicals. These "bad" estrogen
metabolites are responsible for many of estrogen's undesirable
actions in women and men, including further unwanted weight gain,
breast cancer, and uterine cancer.
In addition, a slow metabolism of estrogen, which leaves too
much unmetabolized active estrogen known as estradiol in the
body, can be a problem for both women and men. Elevated estradiol
causes moodiness and breast pain in women and loss of sex drive
in men. By promoting a healthy estrogen metabolism, DIM adjusts
the balance of estradiol to its "good" metabolites.
This also can result in a more desirable action fro testosterone.
Testosterone supports energy and mood and helps sustain interest
in sex in both men and women. When supplemental DIM is taken
along with a program of regular exercise, it can help estrogen
and testosterone contribute to good physical conditioning.
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Hormonal balance refers to the healthiest, most beneficial
mix of all your hormonal messages. It is the key to achieving
your peak physical conditioning and making your exercise count
for a better body. The best hormonal balance can help you stay
healthy, resist aging, and get top results from bodybuilding.
Hormonal imbalance can result in inefficient metabolism,
inappropriate cell growth, and the survival of abnormal cells
that can lead to cancer. DIM contributes to a better metabolism
in the most natural way possible by working with your own hormones
and adjusting their action to avoid hormonal imbalance. This
chapter discusses how hormonal balance and DIM can help you develop
a stronger, leaner, and healthier body.
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Maintaining hormonal balance is now recognized as an important
goal in women's health. Using the diet to beneficially influence
estrogen metabolism is a safe approach to resisting age-related
hormonal changes. DIM supplements actively to promote a desirable
estrogen metabolism that produces more of the "good"
estrogen metabolites, known as 2-hydroxy estrogens. Hormonal
balance also involves benefits from the small amount of testosterone
present in women. DIM's specific benefits for women are covered
in this chapter.
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DIM helps to eliminate active estrogen from the male body
by promoting its conversion into the "good" metabolites.
These metabolites then free up testosterone by bumping it off
the testosterone-binding proteins. The end result is a healthier
balance of testosterone to estrogen and more free testosterone
circulating in the body. In scientific studies, high levels of
testosterone and low levels of estrogen have been linked to lean
body mass, an efficient fat-burning metabolism, and low abdominal
obesity. Other benefits from testosterone are improved mood,
more interest in sex, and better physical conditioning. In this
chapter, we'll explore these issues in more detail.
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Improving estrogen metabolism with DIM results in direct and
indirect support for more efficient weight training. Use of DIM
supplements provides the first estrogen-management system for
men and women. "Good" estrogen metabolites directly
support muscle well-being through their antioxidant action. This
chapter will explore the use of DIM in creating a hormonal balance
for the most successful weight-training and physical-conditioning
programs.
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After reading Chapters 1 through 6, you probably have many
questions, like "How much DIM should I take?" "How
often should I take it?" and "Why is it necessary to
take DIM in an absorportion-enhancing formulation?" Since
maintaining hormonal balance requires a personalized approach
depending on age and sex, no one combination of DIM with other
supplements will suit everyone. This chapter will introduce you
to a basic approach to using DIM with other supplements, helping
you to get the most from DIM for your personal needs.
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