Diindolylmethane (DIM)

Guys, this is a very long read and I wish I could have shortened it, but it has information that just floors me.  Why does our (women's) GYN not tell us these things or at least discuss it? 
Anyway, even if you have to read this in sections please please find time to read this.  Follow up with your own research and by all means please let me know if you know more about this good or bad.

From the jimmysmithtraining.com site:

Dim is a very good and effective product. before you invest in it however, you have to ask yourself a few questions?
Am I cycling my training properly?   yes
Have I switched up my rep ranges lately?   yes
Am I focusing on getting stronger?  most definitely
Am I taking my fish oils?  every single morning
Do I ingest enough protein?  app. 175 gr per day
Am I doing long aerobic work?  45 min 6 days a week

OK lets move on to what stirred me up on this to begin with:

Also from the jimmysmithtraining.com site:

Figure Competition Diet Tip # 2
Determine what areas that you need to improve and what areas have more fat on them then you’d like. I bring this up because while it’s heavily influenced by your training cycle it’s also influenced by your hormonal patterns.  Have hip fat that just won’t tighten up so you can see your hip flexors? (No problem for me here)Then your figure competition diet better be high in insulin managing supplement like r-ala, calcium-d-glucarate and omega-3 fish oils. What about your glute-ham tie-in? (Here is my problem) Do you need to make that area get tighter? (Definitely or else I will not be able to get on the stage) Well then you have to get rid of the extra estrogen that you have from hormonal imbalances. So you’d want to focus on using DIM, Omega-3′s and GLA.  (already taking an Omega complex daily (3,6,9) )

So what now?  More research!!
From:
http://www.energeticnutrition.com/vitalzym/dim.html

DIM™ is a naturally occurring phytonutrient that is found in cruciferous vegetables. Though discovered over ten years ago, the connection between plant-derived dietary ingredients and estrogen metabolism are just now beginning to be understood. Research has shown that DIM has the ability to act as an estrogen balancer (sometimes referred to as an estrogen blocker) in both women and men. It can be used by those addressing estrogen dominance problems and seeking to reduce conditions such as uterine fibroid tumors, fibrocystic breasts, and other women's fibrosis related conditions.

A slow metabolism of estrogen can result in too much active estrogen known as estradiol in the body; this can be problematic for both sexes.  In women, elevated estradiol levels have been shown to cause weight gain (waist, thighs, hips), moodiness, and breast pain.  Men tend to suffer from weight gain, loss of sex drive, prostate enlargement, and male patterned baldness, to name a few. 

Did you know there is good and bad estrogen in your body (kind of like good and bad cholestrol)?

Estrogens and Progesterone Overview

Two types of sex (steroid) hormones are estrogens and progesterone. There are three estrogens: B-estradiol, estrone and estriol.  B-estradiol is by far the most potent. It is 12 times more potent than estrone and 80 times more potent than estriol.  Any over exposure to B-estradiol can increase a person’s risk of disease.  Estriol is considered the “good estrogen.”  There is only one type of progesterone, and it considered a very safe hormone.  Progesterone is called progestin when it is in a synthetic form.

Hormonal Imbalance

From the time menses begins until menopause, levels of estrogen and progesterone ebb and flow in a manner which promotes reproduction.  At about age 35 to 40, women reach the time of premenopause, which is when their levels of progesterone and estrogen begin to reduce. 

Normal Hormone Progression

During this time through age 50,  there is a 35% drop in estrogen, but a 75% reduction in progesterone occurring simultaneously.  This is normal, and does create many premenopausal symptoms that we accept as part of the aging process. 

Many premenopausal women in their mid to late thirties, as well as many women in the menopausal stage are overloaded with estrogen.  At the same time they are suffering from progesterone deficiency because of the severe drop in physiological production during this period. There is then insufficient progesterone to counteract the amount of estrogen in our body.  It is most noticeable among peri-menopausal women who do not ovulate, which is quite common.  You may have a fairly normal cycle, but no egg is released and very little progesterone is produced. 

It is not the absolute deficiency of estrogen or progesterone, but rather the relative dominance of estrogen and possible deficiency of progesterone that is the main cause of health problems when they are not in balance.  The end result: excessive estrogen relative to progesterone, add up to a condition Dr. John Lee has termed “estrogen dominance.”  Dr. Lee’s books, What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Premenopause and What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Menopause explain this and more in-depth.  These books are available on our website.

As DIM works to regulate hormones by increasing the body’s production of healthy estrogen by decreasing the undesirable forms, cells are protected and tumor growth is inhibited.  It is important to remember that there are different forms of the three main estrogens that are important to women and they are estradiol, estrone, and estriol.

Research involving DIM has identified two good estrogens, 2-hydroxy estradiol and 2-hydroxy estrone. These are the antioxidants of the estrogen world and induce the self-destruction of tumor cells. When these two estrogens are low, tumor growth is more likely to occur. DIM increases the body’s production of these healthy estrogens.

Supplementing with DIM helps reduce the estrogen metabolites now known to be responsible for the cancer initiating and cancer promoting effects of estrogen by lowering the two bad forms, 16-hydroxy estrone and 4-hydroxy estrone, which are linked to tumor growth.  These so called “bad” estrogens can have a negative impact by allowing oxidation of cells, damage of DNA, and the promotion of cancer.  It can be said that DIM interferes with cells that are prone to divide and grow in the presence of these two particular forms of estrogen. 

In short, DIM increases the good estrogens, and decreases the bad estrogens. Some refer to this action as being an "estrogen blocker", but that isn't technically the proper term. Research suggests DIM may reduce the risk of breast, uterine, cervical, and prostate cancers. These cancers are estrogen related and that is why it is so important to reduce estrogen dominance in both women and men. 

I hope you found this as interesting and enlightening as I did and maybe it is something you can use.

Crystal