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December 10, 2003 |
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Breast Health DIM: A Little Warrior Takes on a big Disease Diindolylmethane, or DIM, is a plant-compound found in brassica veggies such as broccoli, bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. When you eat these foods, the chewing process releases plant enzymes, which in turn create a phytochemical known as indole-3-carbinol (I3C). DIM is formed directly from I3C in the acidic environment of the stomach. Originally, researchers looked to I3C for cancer-preventive benefits. However, they found that it was unpredictable, reacted very erratically during digestion, and was completely ineffectual until it was converted into DIM. Based on this data, researchers then turned their attention to DIM and found that it was highly stable, required no conversion, and promoted beneficial estrogen metabolism. DIM Alters the Estrogen Metabolism Pathway When we talk about estrogen, we are actually referring to three different compounds: estradiol, estrone, and estriol. During estrogen metabolism, estradiol is converted into estrone. Estrone then becomes either a good estrone metabolite or a bad estrogen metabolite. The good metabolite is then converted into two estrogen metabolites that have been shown to inhibit the growth of malignant tumors; however, the bad metabolite has been strongly associated with cancer growth. This is where DIM comes in. Research has shown that when DIM is ingested, it not only encourages its own metabolism, but that of estrogen. While it is not an estrogen or even an estrogen-mimic, its metabolic pathway exactly coincides with the metabolic pathway of estrogen. When these pathways intersect, DIM favorably adjusts the estrogen metabolic pathways by simultaneously increasing the good estrogen metabolites and decreasing the bad estrogen metabolites. Since higher levels of bad estrogen circulating in the bloodstream have been associated with higher breast cancer rates, scientists theorized that by increasing the good estrogen to bad estrogen ratio, you could protect against estrogen-fed cancer. Brassica Vegetables Have an Impact I recommend increasing your intake of brassica vegetables. Researchers have found that those women who ate 1 to 2 servings of brassica foods a day had a 20 to 40 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those women who ate virtually none. You can also take a good, high-quality DIM supplement. Because DIM is extremely insoluble in both water and lipids, it is poorly absorbed without a good biodelivery vehicle. For this reason, I highly suggest taking 30 mg of DIM a day. Be sure the product is standardized to 25 percent DIM. While no adverse side effects have been associated with DIM, some women have experienced digestive upset. I have found that taking DIM at mealtime can usually alleviate this.
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