3,3’ Diindolylmethane (DIM) Effects On Cancer, Arthritis, Inflammation And HPV

3,3′ Diindolylmethane (DIM) is created inside the body when digesting cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, turnips, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, cauliflower and others.

It is a dimeric form of I3C (indole-3-carbinol) which is contained in high concentrations in vegetables from the Brassicaceae family.

Diindolylmethane supplement are used for a number of different health-boosting reasons and show diverse medicinal properties.

The US National Cancer Institute has begun large-scale human trials addressing DIM’s potentials for combating various cancer cell lines.

Oral DIM pills are currently used as a preventive and an adjunct treatment for breast, colorectal and uterine cancer. However, the FDA has not yet approved it for this purpose.

It is also used for PMS symptoms, and as a first-line treatment for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Diindolylmethane is also said to have anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenesis, antiviral, antibacterial, antiandrogenic, antiproliferative and hormone-balancing actions.

DIM

Hormone Supplement

Estrogen

Testo- sterone

Body- building

How It Works:

• Aids healthy hormone balance for men & women
• Mitigates some effects of excess estrogen
• Anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory benefits

Dosage:

Between 100 - 600 mg per day

Safety:

Rated Possibly Safe

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Diindolylmethane (DIM)

Diindolylmethane is a phytonutrient that is able to affect the body’s production of estrogen metabolites.

When taken orally, DIM promotes a healthy estrogen balance by reducing the production of 16-hydroxy “bad” estrogen and increasing the production of 2-hydroxy “good” estrogens.

This has a number of positive effects in the body for both males and females.

DIM seems particularly effective at alleviating symptoms of estrogen dominance.

In women, this may help improve PMS symptoms, menopause symptoms and even support weight loss. In men, this can prevent feminization of the body such as the development of gynecomastia or male breast tissue.

Diindolylmethane is also believed to have anti-cancer effects. Dr. H. Leon Bradlow discovered 20 years ago that women with uterine or breast cancer often have excess levels of 16-hydroxy estrogen and low levels of the 2-hydroxy type.

16-hydroxy is said to be an unregulated form of estrogen that can cause an estrogen imbalance, resulting in abnormal growth, cell mutations and increasing the risk of certain cancers.

Estrogen levels can become too high due to a number of factors including eating a poor diet, being overweight, genetics, and interaction with estrogenic toxins or chemicals in the environment.

To combat these factors, Diindolylmethane supplements along with I3C (indole-3-carbinol) are recommended to restore a healthy estrogen balance and possibly reduce the risk of estrogenic cancers.

Diindolylmethane Effects

Researchers are currently investigating the anti-cancer effects of Diindolylmethane in animal studies as well as in in vitro models. In rodent models with cell xenografts from human breast cancer cell lines, diindolylmethane seemed to inhibit angiogenesis.

This is the process by which new blood vessels are formed to deliver nutrients to cancerous cells. It is a necessary step in order for cancers to grow and divide. DIM may be able to slow the progression of cancers by inhibiting new blood vessels from forming.

This seemed to be accomplished by limiting the synthesis of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor). Multiple studies have replicated these results.

Additionally, in studies involving human cancer cell lines, diindolylmethane administration seems to impede transcriptional actions of HIF-1alpha, an integral regulatory factor in angiogenesis.

Diindolylmethane for Arthritis and Inflammation

DIM is also touted for its anti-inflammatory properties and for providing relief from arthritis symptoms. In animal experiments, DIM exhibits positive effects concerning arthritis and osteoclastogenesis. Diindolylmethane administration seems to attenuate histologic and clinical inflammation indices.

Inflammatory cytokine expression is reduced, however there has been no shown effects concerning the direct prevention of arthritis.

Notably, expression of RANKL (receptor activator for nuclear factor kappa-B ligand) seems to be effectively decreased via DIM supplementation. Suppression of RANKL is believed widely to slow down osteoclastogenesis.

In animal tests, diindolylmethane administration seems to impede inflammatory enzymes and mediators including iNOS (nitric oxide synthase), C-X-C motif (chemokine), interleukin ((IL)-6) and (CXCL) 5 (ligand).

AP-1 (activator protein) signaling enhancement is also believed to add to the anti-inflammatory effects of DIM.

Clinical Proof for Diindolylmethane

Much of what is believed about DIM’s therapeutic values have not yet been firmly established via clinical experimentation.

Some preliminary data which shows therapeutic promise include:

• In women with moderate to severe cervical dysplasia, 2 mg daily doses of DIM seemed to improve HPV status histology reports, PAP smear results and/or colposcopic impressions when compared to placebo group subjects.

• In patients with prostatic adenocarcinomas, 600 mg doses of DIM daily over 28 days seemed to significantly decrease prostate-specific levels of antigens.

Currently, diindolylmethane therapy is being used by Western doctors to treat recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). RRP is a condition in which tumors develop in the upper respiratory tract because of HPV.

DIM was well tolerated and promising as an immunostimulating agent in one clinical study involving 64 middle-aged women with HPV cervical infections. Subsequently, a double-blind, placebo-based study of 600 women with cervical dysplasia failed to show any significant results.

Diindolylmethane Side Effects

The average diet provides between 2 and 24 mg of DIM daily from vegetables such as broccoli. This amount is considered to be likely safe when taken orally in clinical settings on a short-term basis. This level of supplementation seems to be safe over the course of twelve weeks.

In cases of higher supplementation amounts, or longer usage periods, DIM is possibly unsafe. There have been two reported cases of asymptomatic hyponatremia, a condition marked by excessively low sodium levels. These instances were apparently caused by doses of 600mg daily.

With doses of 300 mg daily, headaches and stomach upset were experienced.

Diindolylmethane supplementation is considered to be likely safe for children and pregnant/nursing women, but only in the amounts commonly gained from the daily diet. Not enough evidence exists to deem higher levels of supplementation safe.

Sprague-Dawley rodents were administered as much as ten times the recommended dosage of DIM for humans. Although a lack of toxicity was noted, there were increases in serum enzymes including CK (creatine kinase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and ALP (alkaline phosphatase).

DIM supplementation in small doses for up to twelve weeks seems safe and no serious side effects have been recorded.

However, it is not recommended for certain groups; including those with hormone-sensitive disorders like breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, uterine cancer and/or uterine fibroids.

DIM has the potential to act similarly to estrogen. It could worsen the symptoms of these hormone-sensitive conditions. If you are considering diindolylmethane supplementation, for cancer or any other condition, please consult with your oncologist or other doctor first.

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