Are Fruits and Vegetables Necessary?
Have you noticed a trend on social media platforms promoting the idea that fruits and vegetables are not necessary for good health? This couldn’t be further from the truth…
Eat your vegetables! This is a phrase that many of us have been taught since childhood. But what’s in vegetables that makes them so important? Cruciferous vegetables, for example, contain an enzyme called indole-3 carbinol (I3C). When indole-3 carbinol (I3C) is exposed to stomach acid, it becomes diindolylmethane, also known as DIM. But, so what?
Well, today, our bodies are under constant attack of toxins leaching into the body through commonly used household products and plastics. Many of these products contain xenoestrogens, which are essentially “foreign estrogens” that put our body in a state of confusion and wreak havoc on our hormones and immune system. This is where DIM’s importance comes in!
DIM has been proven to help the body metabolize these xenoestrogens, which helps the fight against many cancers, reduced immunology, infertility, and various diseases. DIM also aids men’s and women’s ability to metabolize estrogen, which further helps “unclog” our hormone production. Let’s take a closer look and explore
When we eat cruciferous vegetables or supplement with DIM, our liver enzymes are supported, which helps improve estrogen metabolism. Estrogen metabolism is important because of the xenoestrogens we mentioned before! Men and women may become estrogen dominant due to the xenoestrogens in our homes and environment, which cause several hormone-related health problems. When we support our liver’s estrogen metabolism, we help balance our hormones.
DIM balances the hormones estrogen and testosterone in both males and females so that hormone levels are stable and don’t plateau or dip. This optimizes testosterone in men and restores a healthy balance of estrogen to progesterone ratio in women. Hormonal balance is crucial to health, leading to many benefits, such as:
In women, DIM can
In men, DIM can:
Sadly, an estimated 264,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women each year in the United States alone. Likewise, an estimated 288,300 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. Because hormone-related cancers are such an imminent threat to men and women, it is important that we use natural resources to keep them at bay. Incorporating healthy habits and adopting a preventative lifestyle can help reduce your risk of getting cancer.
As we discussed, DIM balances hormones like estrogen and testosterone as well as androgens, (androgens are hormones linked to growth and reproductive health), helping prevent hormone- related cancers, like breast and prostate cancer.
DIM helps to metabolize estrogen in men, which helps prostate tissue stay healthy and prevent inflammation. This can protect against prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is a precursor to prostate cancer. One study concluded that DIM not only significantly improved prostate health, but it also reduced PIN.
DIM also supports prostate health in men as they age. DIM helps ease age-related urinary issues by balancing hormones that affect the bladder and prostate. Prostate inflammation can lead to prostatitis. Prostatitis is a painful condition caused by inflammation that negatively affects urination; as well as, quality of life. Overall, DIM can significantly improve prostate health and quality of life for men.
(study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818865/)
Not only do our households contain toxins, but much of the food we eat also contains or is treated with chemicals and pesticides. Furthermore, chemicals in plastics have been found to leach into our food, which we later consume. These toxins are responsible for the “foreign estrogen” we mentioned earlier. Foreign estrogens, also called xenoestrogens, are harmful substances that can bind to estrogen receptor sites in the body and wreak havoc on our immune system; as well as, our hormones.
DIM helps to metabolize xenoestrogens, which essentially rids the body of toxins and helps ward off cancers, infertility, various diseases, PMS symptoms, and more. The eradication
xenoestrogens through DIM also helps to promote weight loss, prostate health, and immunity. It is important to ensure that these foreign estrogens do not overtake estrogen receptor sites. Despite our best efforts, living a completely toxin-free lifestyle is difficult. Eating cruciferous vegetables or supplementing with DIM is an easy way to help our bodies metabolize the xenoestrogens we have trouble avoiding
Memory loss is a serious issue that affects many adults as we age. It’s estimated that 40% of people will experience some form of memory loss after the age of 65. Luckily, DIM has been proven to support and enhance memory. Diindolylmethane supports nerves and cells in the brain that are linked to cognitive health. Memory support is not just important for older adults; many young and middle-aged people could also benefit from a memory boost from DIM!
Cruciferous Vegetables:
In this blog, we explored the top 5 benefits of DIM. Benefits, like supported hormone health, cancer prevention, supported prostate health, reduced toxin load, and memory support are things we could all get a little help with! There are many delicious cruciferous vegetables that are rich in DIM. Remember, cruciferous vegetables are easily identifiable by their lush green outer leaves. At Eabha Organics, we believe in the benefits of DIM, which is why we included it in our hormone-supporting supplement, Total Balance. Per each serving of Total Balance, we included 150 mg of diindolylmethane. If you ever need a reminder about what the compound DIM does or why it is important, visit our website and tap on the “Learn” tab. Once you’re there, select “DIM” to review and recap its powerful properties!
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