DIM, or 3,3’-diindolylmethane, is a nutrient powerhouse that 99.9 percent of the population has probably never heard of.
DIM is a compound created when we digest cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and others from the brassica family. According to faculty and fellows from the Diindolylmethane (DIM) Information Resource Center at the University of California at Berkeley, DIM’s “multitude of favorable biological activities such as immune modulation, apoptosis promotion and suppression of inflammation (NFkB) are among the reasons why the National Cancer Institute has begun clinical studies of DIM for multiple forms of cancer.” If DIM is so important, you may be wondering why so little attention has been paid to it in the mainstream media. I would submit that the most likely reason is that it is a phytonutrient.
A phytonutrient is a plant compound that has properties that promote good health – one example is resveratrol, which has garnered considerable attention for its beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. Unlike traditional nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, DIM is difficult to isolate and study, which could explain why it has not received the same amount of attention as traditional macro and micronutrients. Why this lack of respect? To answer that question, let’s start with how we gather knowledge in science.
The standard for centuries has been to use the Scientific Method to expand our knowledge and understanding of the world around us. Key elements in the Scientific Method specify that we make observations, ask questions, try to find answers through experimentation, and then ideally reproduce those results in another experiment. This is a bit of an oversimplification, but this is the foundation of how we prove and disprove things in science.
Two acknowledged limitations of the Scientific Method are (1) not knowing what questions to ask and (2) not having the capability to test for certain outcomes. In the case of the first limitation, for example, vitamin D dosing in the early part of the 20th century was originally based on what we knew about vitamin D at that time, which was that it helped prevent rickets. Because science didn’t know about other effects of taking vitamin D, no one thought to ask questions about the correct dosing for prevention of depression or autoimmune diseases. As for the second limitation – being able to test for a particular outcome – if scientists in the 18th century had wanted to know which herbs best reduce PGE2 via COX2 inhibition, for example, how would they have done that?
These challenges are part of the reason that research and understanding of phytonutrients have lagged behind those of vitamins and minerals. Until recently, little was known about exactly what phytonutrients are, what they do, how they work, or just as important, how to isolate them to test their impact. As a result, they ended up in the category of “must not be that important.” Gradually over the years, the tremendous value of phytonutrients has come to light as we continue to expand our understanding of how vital fruits, vegetables and herbs are for our health. The fact that one can survive without broccoli should not create a scientific bias that lowers its perceived nutritional value.
This brings us back to DIM, a compound created when we digest cruciferous veggies. DIM has been shown to have profound immune-stimulating properties and anti-inflammatory functions. DIM’s most interesting role, however, is its ability to protect against cancer.
Study after study has shown that DIM has a chemoprotective effect and supports apoptosis (i.e., natural cell death) in numerous different kinds of cancers. After many studies appearing in well-respected peer-reviewed journals, the National Cancer Institute has taken notice and is currently involved in three different Phase II or Phase III trials. For my BioSignature practitioners, I’ve recommended DIM for years for various protocols, especially hamstrings and quadriceps.
Although I definitely encourage supplementing with DIM, that is not an excuse to stop eating your cruciferous veggies. Remember my point at the beginning of this article: There are many questions we don’t even know to ask yet. In 5, 10 or 20 years we will certainly know even more about these different phytonutrients and will continue to discover more phytonutrients with great value. I also don’t want you to just take my word for it that DIM should be in your daily supplement regimen. Check out some of the conclusions from recent research below. You can also go to PubMed and research for yourself. You will be overwhelmed with the power of this little nutrient.
RESOURCES
“Our data suggest that DIM enhances estrogen metabolism in TPD (thyroid proliferative disease) patients and can potentially serve as an antiestrogenic dietary supplement to help reduce the risk of developing TPD. The fact that DIM is detected in thyroid tissue implicates that it can manifest its antiestrogenic activity in situ to modulate TPD.”
— Rajoria S, et al. 3,3'-diindolylmethane modulates estrogen metabolism in patients with thyroid proliferative disease: a pilot study. Thyroid. (2011 Mar). 21(3);299-304. Epub 2011 Jan 22.
“The present data suggest that the dimerization of I3C to DIM increases its Nrf2 inducing activity.”
— Ernst IM, et al. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane but not indole-3-carbinol activates Nrf2 and induces Nrf2 target gene expression in cultured murine fibroblasts. Free Radic Res. (2011 Aug). 45(8);941-9. Epub 2011 May 26.
“These results indicate that DIM inhibits prostate carcinogenesis via induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell cycle progression.”
— Cho HJ, et al. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane inhibits prostate cancer development in the transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate model. Mol Carcinog. (2011 Feb). 50(2);100-12. doi: 10.1002/mc.20698. Epub 2010 Nov 8.
“This provides the first evidence that synthetic C-DIMs originating from cruciferous vegetables induce apoptosis in human oral cancer cells through the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway.”
— Shin JA, et al. Chemopreventive effects of synthetic C-substituted diindolylmethanes originating from cruciferous vegetables in human oral cancer cells. Eur J Cancer Prev. (2011 May 18). [Epub ahead of print].
“3,3'-Diindolylmethane (B-DIM) is an inhibitor of NF-kappaB and COX-2 and is a well-known chemopreventive agent.”
— Ali S, et al. Concurrent inhibition of NF-kappaB, cyclooxygenase-2, and epidermal growth factor receptor leads to greater anti-tumor activity in pancreatic cancer. J Cell Biochem. (2010 May). 110(1);171-81.
“Our results demonstrate that DIM is a new class of ERbeta-selective compounds, because it does not bind to ERbeta, but instead it selectively recruits ERbeta and coactivators to target genes.”
— Vivar OI, et al. Selective activation of estrogen receptor-beta target genes by 3,3'-diindolylmethane. Endocrinology. (2010 Apr). 151(4);1662-7. Epub 2010 Feb 16.
“These results indicated that the DIM agent is not toxic and has an in-vivo preventive effect against the development of prostate cancer in a mouse model.”
— Fares F, et al. The potential efficacy of 3,3'-diindolylmethane in prevention of prostate cancer development. Eur J Cancer Prev. (2010 May). 19(3);199-203.
“The antiandrogenic effects of ring-DIMs suggest they may form the basis for the development of novel agents against hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, alone or in combination with other drugs.”
— Abdelbaqi K, et al. Antiandrogenic and growth inhibitory effects of ring-substituted analogs of 3,3'-diindolylmethane (Ring-DIMs) in hormone-responsive LNCaP human prostate cancer cells. Prostate. (2011 Feb 14). doi: 10.1002/pros.21356.
“DIM delays or inhibits the progression from cervical dysplasia to cervical cancer.”
— Sepkovic DW, et al. Diindolylmethane inhibits cervical dysplasia, alters estrogen metabolism, and enhances immune response in the K14-HPV16 transgenic mouse model. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. (2009 Nov). 18(11);2957-64. Epub 2009 Oct 27.
“DIM has shown anti-arthritis activity in animal models via inhibiting the expression of RANKL, and thus may offer potential treatments for arthritis and associated disorders.”
— Dong L, et al. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane attenuates experimental arthritis and osteoclastogenesis. Biochem Pharmacol. (2010 Mar 1). 79(5);715-21. Epub 2009 Oct 23.
“Our results, therefore, suggest that B-DIM down-regulates uPA-uPAR in aggressive breast cancers but in the absence of uPA-uPAR, B-DIM can directly inhibit VEGF and MMP-9 leading to the inhibition of cell growth and migration of breast cancer cells.”
— Ahmad A, et al. Down-regulation of uPA and uPAR by 3,3'-diindolylmethane contributes to the inhibition of cell growth and migration of breast cancer cells. J Cell Biochem. (2009 Nov 1). 108(4);916-25.
“Our findings suggest that low concentrations of DIM protect cells against oxidative stress via the tumor suppressor BRCA1 by several distinct mechanisms.”
— Fan S, et al. Low concentrations of diindolylmethane, a metabolite of indole-3-carbinol, protect against oxidative stress in a BRCA1-dependent manner. Cancer Res. (2009 Aug 1). 69(15);6083-91. Epub 2009 Jul 21.
“Thus, DIM is a potent stimulator of immune function. This property might contribute to the cancer inhibitory effects of this indole.”
— Xue L, et al. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) stimulates murine immune function in vitro and in vivo. J Nutr Biochem. (2007 Aug 16). [Epub ahead of print].