Hormone Advantage

DIM is a compound derived from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. DIM is absorbed in the digestive tract and carried to the liver where it supports hormone detoxification processes, including improving the ratio of healthy-to-less-healthy estrogens.

DIM also supports healthy testosterone levels by improving the estrogen-to-testosterone ratio. Because of these hormone-balancing effects, both men and women can benefit from DIM supplementation. In addition, DIM can inhibit aromatase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen.

Another beneficial compound from cruciferous vegetables is sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS). Broccoli seeds and sprouts are rich in SGS. When orally consumed, SGS reacts with the healthy microflora in the gut to produce its active form, sulforaphane, which is a potent natural inducer of phase 2 detoxification enzymes.

During phase 2 detoxification, the liver uses one of two key enzymatic pathways to transform potentially toxic substances – like drugs, chemicals, and excess or exogenous estrogens – into less toxic substances that the body can excrete more readily. This allows SGS to play a chemoprotective role in the body, supporting the inhibition of abnormal cell cycle progression and inducing apoptosis (cell death) of abnormal cells.SGS also acts as a long-lasting, indirect antioxidant, activating the body’s antioxidative processes to protect healthy cells from free-radical damage.

Pomegranate extract is a rich source of phytoestrogens – plant compounds that are structurally similar to estrogens, like estradiol. Phytoestrogens compete with estradiol to bind to estrogen receptors, thus reducing their potentially harmful effects.

Pomegranate is also rich in polyphenols, particularly ellagitannins. Ellagitannins have been shown to inhibit aromatase activity, thus suppressing estrogen production. A review of biologically active compounds in pomegranate found that pomegranate extract can act as a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM).