Diindolylmethane (DIM) is the major molecular condensation of indole-3-carbinol (I3C).
I3C is a natural phytonutrient constituent of Brassica Family cruciferous vegetables including Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, cauliflower and others.
When I3C reaches the stomach, gastric juices act on it to convert it into DIM. The average daily food intake for most adults supplies somewhere between 2 and 24 milligrams of I3C-derived diindolylmethane.
Short term administration of DIM dosages at these levels has been classified as likely safe for all people of normal health; including pregnant women, lactating mothers, infants and children.
However, higher DIM doses may cause certain side effects in a small number of people; some of which can be very serious. No FDA recommendations for diindolylmethane supplementation have been determined yet.



- Aids healthy hormone balance for men & women
- Mitigates some effects of excess estrogen
- Anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory benefits
DIM Dosage Recommendations
Related Topics
What is the best DIM dosage?
In clinical settings, taking DIM supplements of up to 300 milligrams daily is considered possibly safe.
In some rare cases, gastrointestinal upset and/or headaches have been reported.
These side effects were short-lived and generally mild.
Supplementation with DIM is recommended for less than twelve weeks of duration.
For certain therapeutic uses, DIM dosages of 600 milligrams daily and more have been tested. Across all of these studies, there have been only two cases where asymptomatic hyponatremia resulted. Hyponatremia is a condition where serum sodium levels become deficient.
In the majority of cases where side effects of hyponatremia are noted at all, they are mild – like headaches and upset stomachs.
However, in some cases of acute hyponatremia, serious side effects may occur; including cerebral edema, cardiopulmonary arrest, seizures, stroke, coma and/or death.
Because of the rare possibility of developing hyponatremia when using DIM pills, it should not be combined with diuretic pharmaceuticals, which are also known to deplete sodium levels.
Administration of 600 or more milligrams daily of DIM is considered to be possibly unsafe.
Why Take DIM Supplements?
Diindolylmethane is used allopathically to treat the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy (prostate enlargement)) and RRP (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis). Today, it is largely known because of its anticancer and chemoprotective effects.
Research trials show this supplement may be useful in the prevention and treatment of various cancers. However, this supplement has not yet been approved by the FDA for the treatment of cancer.
While many naturopathic doctors recommend it as part of a cancer protection regimen, manufacturers are not permitted to promote it as a cancer cure.
Concerning breast cancer, diindolylmethane administration has demonstrated the following in research studies:
- Oral supplementation of 300 mg daily increased mRNA levels of BRCA1 following 4 to 6 weeks of usage.
- Diindolylmethane seems to upregulate breast cancer cell repair enzyme activity.
- DIM induces antiestrogenic actions on 2-hydroxylation.
- When taken one week prior, oral diindolylmethane supplementation seemed to reduce the incidence of DMBA-induced mammary cancer in rats by roughly 80%.
In one 250-day murine study, spontaneous tumor growth was reduced by more than 45% following DIM administration. Different rat groups in this study were fed two different DIM dosages equivalent to 4.8mg/kg and 9.6mg/kg of bodyweight.
In one prolonged study of Donryu rats with induced endometrial cancer, the spontaneous generation of uterine neoplasms was much higher in the treatment group than in a placebo group. This effect was believed to be associated directly with an increase in estradiol 2-hydroxylation; an anti-estrogenic effect.
Interactions & Contraindications
Certain pharmaceutical agents may interact with diindolylmethane. Because of the possibility that DIM may deplete sodium levels, taking it with diuretic agents is not recommended.
Also, cytochrome P450 1A1 substrate medications should not be combined with diindolylmethane supplements.
Finally, DIM seems to exhibit both estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects in clinical tests. Not enough is understood about DIM effects on estrogen, and therefore supplementation should be avoided by anyone using estrogen-based medications.
At low doses between two and twenty-four milligrams daily, diindolylmethane supplementation seems to be quite safe for children, babies, pregnant women and new moms who are nursing.
Supplementation programs should be limited to twelve weeks in duration before cycling off for an equal time period. Higher DIM doses are not recommended because of currently insufficient clinical proof of safety.
Additional Considerations
There are no known negative interactions between diindolylmethane supplements and other plant-based remedies or foods. DIM supplementation is viewed as safe overall, but determining the right dosage is important to prevent possible side effects.
DIM dosages are also being research for antiarthritic, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, neuroplegic, immunomodulatory and other properties. Always talk with your doctor prior to starting supplementation with 3,3′-diindolylmethane to find out if this natural product is appropriate for you.
- Mohan, Sumit et al. "Prevalence of Hyponatremia and Association with Mortality: Results from NHANES." The American journal of medicine 126.12 (2013): 1127–37.e1. PMC. Web. 24 July 2015.
- Fan, Saijun et al. "Low Concentrations of Diindolylmethane, a Metabolite of Indole-3-Carbinol, Protects against Oxidative Stress in a BRCA1-Dependent Manner." Cancer research 69.15 (2009): 6083–6091. PMC. Web. 24 July 2015.
- Chinnakannu, Kannagi et al. "Cell Cycle-Dependent Effects of 3,3?-Diindolylmethane on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Prostate Cancer Cells."Journal of cellular physiology 219.1 (2009): 94–99. PMC. Web. 24 July 2015.
- Gregory A. Reed, Jean M. Sunega, Debra K. Sullivan, John C. Gray, Matthew S. Mayo, James A. Crowell, and Aryeh Hurwitz Single-Dose Pharmacokinetics and Tolerability of Absorption-Enhanced 3, 3?-Diindolylmethane in Healthy Subjects Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Oct; 17(10): 2619–2624.
- Prabodh K. Kandala and Sanjay K. Srivastava Diindolylmethane-mediated Gli1 Protein Suppression Induces Anoikis in Ovarian Cancer Cells in Vitro and Blocks Tumor Formation Abilityin Vivo* J Biol Chem. 2012 Aug 17; 287(34): 28745–28754.
- Dent P. Crosstalk between ERK, AKT, and cell survival. Cancer Biol Ther. 2014 Mar 1;15(3):245-6. doi: 10.4161/cbt.27541. Epub 2014 Jan 14.
- Ye Q, Cai W, Zheng Y, Evers BM, She QB. ERK and AKT signaling cooperate to translationally regulate survivin expression for metastatic progression of colorectal cancer. Oncogene. 2014 Apr 3;33(14):1828-39. doi: 10.1038/onc.2013.122. Epub 2013 Apr 29.
- Prabodh K Kandala1 and Sanjay K Srivastava 1 Diindolylmethane suppresses ovarian cancer growth and potentiates the effect of cisplatin in tumor mouse model by targeting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) BMC Med. 2012; 10: 9.
- Shishinn Sun, Jing Han, Walter M. Ralph, Jr., Alamelu Chandrasekaran, Kai Liu, Karen J. Auborn and Timothy H. Carter Endoplasmic reticulum stress as a correlate of cytotoxicity in human tumor cells exposed to diindolylmethane in vitro. Cell Stress Chaperones. 2004 Mar; 9(1): 76–87.
- A Castañon, A Tristram, D Mesher, N Powell, H Beer, S Ashman, G Rieck, H Fielder, A Fiander and P Sasieni Effect of diindolylmethane supplementation on low-grade cervical cytological abnormalities: double-blind, randomised, controlled trial. Br J Cancer. 2012 Jan 3; 106(1): 45–52.
- Xuemin Qian, Jung Min Song, Tamene Melkamu, Pramod Upadhyaya and Fekadu Kassie Chemoprevention of lung tumorigenesis by intranasally administered diindolylmethane in A/J mice. Carcinogenesis. 2013 Apr; 34(4): 841–849.
Article last updated on: April 29th, 2018 by Nootriment