Broccoli - The favorite vegetable in bodybuilding - But why? - Part 2

In part 1 of my BLOG, I looked at the ingredients in broccoli and found out that it is really worth including broccoli in your diet to provide yourself with a variety of micronutrients.

Broccoli - The favorite vegetable in bodybuilding - But why - Part 1

Broccoli also contains substances that have anti-carcinogenic potential and thus protect against the development of certain types of cancer.

In Part 2, I would like to focus on one of these substances, which is also available in supplement form. We are talking about DIM. I would also like to briefly discuss the use of broccoli in bodybuilding and address the myth that broccoli increases testosterone levels.

Supplementation with DIM

What we obtain naturally from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli or other types of cabbage can also be administered as a supplement. We are talking about the indole-3-carbinol (I3C) contained in the plants. It is converted to 3,3-diindolylmethane in the stomach and performs excellent services there. In the following text I would like to explain exactly how DIM supplementation is used and what you can expect from it.

Oestrogen balance

Not all oestrogens are the same. There are several variants in our body, so-called metabolites with different properties and effects. Normally, there is a balance between the metabolites. However, this balance can be upset by various factors such as diet, the environment, certain medications, etc.

A distinction must be made between the group of bad oestrogens such as 16-hydroxyestrone and the group of good oestrogens such as 2-hydroxy and 2-methoxyestrone. The good representatives do not allow oxidation and damage to DNA, which could lead to the development of cancer. Unfortunately, an overabundance of the "bad" oestrogens tends to develop in the course of life.

In the case of oestrogen, it is important to distinguish between several metabolites and their properties!

DIM and oestrogen balance

DIM is the most active substance resulting from the intake of cruciferous vegetables and the glucosinates they contain. A change in oestrogen metabolism can produce positive effects in both women and men.

An atoxic effect of DIM was demonstrated in studies as early as 1987. The anti-carcinogenic potential was also already established here. At that time, the effect was based on an inhibition of the activity of oestrogen receptors. Furthermore, it was found that DIM accelerates the process of apoptosis (programmed cell death) in damaged cells.

It was also found that DIM is able to slow down both cell division and tumor growth.

With DIM, the production of 2-hydroxyestrone increased by up to 75 %, with a simultaneous decrease in 16-hydroxyestrone. This shift correlates with increased protection against breast cancer, uterine cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.

Another advantage of DIM is that the positive effects of oestrogen on the central nervous system or the passive musculoskeletal system are maintained, as the good oestrogen representatives remain active or even increase their activity.

Interesting:
Obesity and a lack of omega-3 fatty acids are also risk factors for breast cancer. They go hand in hand with low concentrations of the "good" oestrogens. DIM increases the proportion of "good" oestrogens and reduces the proportion of "bad" representatives.

DIM properties

DIM is actually the already converted form of I3C, which we ingest through foods such as broccoli. The conversion process from I3C to DIM takes place in the stomach and requires gastric acid or an acidic environment.

DIM itself can be absorbed, but there are supplements in which it is provided with a transport matrix to improve absorption even further. DIM itself has no androgenic potential.

DIM and the menopause

Before the menopause

Before the onset of the menopause, the luteal phase of the female cycle leads to a reduction in progesterone levels and thus to a hormonal imbalance, which often contributes to premenstrual mood swings. DIM can be helpful here in that it stimulates progesterone production in the abdomen via the good oestrogen metabolites.

DIM can suppress premenopausal mood swings and breast pain.

Menopause and hormone replacement therapy

About 20-30% of postmenopausal women take exogenous estrogens to protect themselves from the effects of estrogen deficiency. Other women prefer to take DHEA, a precursor of oestrogen. A large proportion of postmenopausal women refrain from taking hormones despite possible symptoms for fear of increasing the risk of breast cancer.

Taking female androgens during the menopause is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there is the fear of an increased risk of breast cancer; on the other hand, a lack of oestrogen is also associated with a number of disadvantages. These include an increased risk of osteoporosis, a deterioration in memory, a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and an increased cardiovascular risk. A lack of oestrogen also leads to vaginal dryness or dry skin.

As we have already read, the intake of DIM makes it possible to balance oestrogen metabolites and can therefore also reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as breast or cervical cancer, in conjunction with hormone replacement therapy.

Conclusion:
DIMcan limit the risk of hormone replacement therapy with regard to the development of cancer.

DIM and the male sex

Prostate and testosterone

Men also experience something like a "menopause", as men also experience an age-related drop in testosterone over the years. In addition, there is an increased production of so-called sex hormone-binding proteins and thus a further drop in free testosterone. Free testosterone is actually required by the prostate in order to produce prostate secretions. Similar to the thyroid gland with iodine deficiency, the prostate grows with a testosterone deficiency (prostate hypertrophy).

DIM contains mediators that ensure that, in the event of a deficiency in the gland, testosterone reaches the prostate again in free form, resulting in a reduction in hypertrophy.

Prostate and oestrogen

With ageing, the risk of an accumulation of estradiol (active oestrogen) in the prostate also increases. This provokes an increase in an antigen called PSA (prostate-specific antigen) and thus also leads to prostate hypertrophy.

DIM is able to inhibit the increase in the antigen by increasing the amount of "good" oestrogen and decreasing the amount of "bad" oestrogen, thereby also counteracting prostate hypertrophy.

Arteriosclerosis

In men, a higher level of 2-methoxy estradiol has also been shown to have an antiarteriosclerotic effect, as this oestrogen metabolite has strong antioxidant properties and also influences the lipoprotein status (cholesterol, etc.).

DHEA supplementation in men with testosterone deficiency, which is often not carried out for fear of excessive oestrogen deficiency, could be carried out more safely with DIM.

A high intake of animal fats, a high intake of foods with an increased phytoestrogen content or - "listen and be amazed" - a high intake of omega-6 fatty acids can also ensure that the oestrogen balance shifts more towards the "bad" oestrogens (16-hydroxy metabolites), thus increasing the risk of cancer in both women and men. A simultaneous high intake of omega 3 fatty acids and/or DIM is able to overcome these problems by providing higher levels of 2-hydroxy estrogens and improving the ratio of omega 3 fatty acids to omega 6 fatty acids.

DIM and omega 3 fatty acids balance a dietary estrogen imbalance.

DIM and the immune system

Finally, DIM also has immune-activating effects and can therefore help to fight viruses and bacteria more quickly. In one study, there was an increase in IL-6, IL-12 interferon-gamma and the granulocyte colony stimulating factor G-CSF. The number of white blood cells increases when DIM is administered.

DIM and intake

The recommended intake of DIM, including the transport matrix, is 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.

DIM or broccoli?

The advantage of DIM supplementation is the dosed intake of a high quantity of this substance. DIM can be administered in a targeted manner and is already present in its converted form, i.e. there can be no loss of conversion in the stomach due to a lack of mangenic acid, for example.

Broccoli has the advantage of containing not only the precursor of DIM, namely I3C, but also the other substances described in Part 1 and certainly some not yet described, which also have health-promoting properties.