Plant indoles and hormone balance

If you follow my blog, you know that I am not a heavy promoter of vitamin supplementation and I certainly don’t promote any brand names. Nutrients are best absorbed and utilized by the body when they are ingested in their natural form: that is, in the whole food which contains them. Removing select nutrients and packaging them in a pill is not the best way take in the required micro-nutrients.

Nevertheless I do believe in taking a vitamin/mineral supplement to do just what the name implies: supplement my diet. That is, I take it as insurance that I am getting enough micro-nutrients. So I don’t take supplements instead of good nutrition, but in addition to eating a healthy diet.

Now there is one supplement that I have been taking for a very long time that I would like to tell you about. It’s called diindolylmethane, or DIM for short. Its chief benefit is that it helps to balance hormones.

What is it?

Diindolylmethane is a plant indole – a 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 been cultivated for centuries and were originally used as medicines.

What does it do?

About 20 years ago, scientists discovered that when broccoli was added to the diets of study animals, it prevented certain forms of cancer. Adding DIM and other plant indoles to their diets had the same effects. Many of the health promoting effects arise from a beneficial shift in the balance of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.

Why DIM in a pill?

When you chew raw or lightly cooked vegetables, plant enzymes are activated, which allows DIM to enter your body. But to get the most benefit from the 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.

How does it work?

Because of its similar structure to estrogen, DIM stimulates more efficient estrogen metabolism. Initially, I took DIM for its cancer-fighting properties. But it has, at least so far, proven to be very helpful in easing the symptoms of menopause. At 53, I have experienced almost no menopausal symptoms. 

A slow metabolism of estrogen, which leaves too much unmetabolized active estrogen (called estradiol) in the body, can be a problem for both women and men. The proper dose has been shown to shift metabolism of estrogen in women to favour the good metabolites. Clinical studies show that reduction of cancer risk is associated with this shift.

There are other benefits to taking DIM including promotion of weight loss through a more active fat metabolism; and improved efficiency of muscle-building and fat-burning conditioning programs.

Lastly, there are no harmful side effects associated with supplemental DIM when taken within standard guidelines. Therefore in my experience it is a supplement worth taking for hormone balance and the associated lowered risk of cancer. And don't forget to continue to eat your broccoli.