Friday, February 13, 2015

Why Should You Use DIM!




Are you middle aged or older?  Female or male, with a bit too much body fat? Are you a male who enjoys beer and would like to get rid of that gut? Are you a female that has been exercising hard but those stubborn areas are still there!? Then maybe DIM is for you.

DIM, short for Diindolymethane is natural supplement we prescribe and sell here at TopShape, that has produced amazing results when combined with our exercise programs. The simple reason is that most people today are not exercising regularly enough. Even if they are, sometimes they are frustrated because unbeknownst to them they are estrogen dominant. DIM is a breast and prostate cancer fighter that protects women and men by acting as an estrogen inhibitor.

Research shows that DIM supports healthy ratios of certain estrogens that play a role in cancer risk. DIM is also an aromatase inhibitor making it beneficial to men also. It blocks the conversion of testosterone to estrogen which is associated with an  increase cancer risk and leads to fat storage.

“Estrogen dominance occurs when you have too much estrogen in the body or an imbalance between estrogen and other hormones. Estrogen dominance is a much greater problem than most people realize: It negatively affects men, women, and children, and it could be that one thing that is keeping you from losing weight or getting all that you could out or your workouts!” Charles Poliquin

I know what you're saying, Estrogen is a good thing! It is, at the right time when we need it. The problem is, when it's in over production mode because your body is in a state of hormone imbalance, then it can play havoc. Because of the high levels of environmental chemical estrogens (xenoestrogens), we are all exposed to everyday, estrogen dominance is playing a key role in making us hormonally imbalanced and fat.

In women, androgens are produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands, and fat cells. Androgens are necessary for estrogen synthesis, and play a key role in the prevention of bone loss. They also regulate body function before, during and after menopause.

Women produce estrogen in 3 ways:
 Estrone  commonly referred to as (E1) ,usually a lesser estrogen produced by the adrenal glands. This estrogen becomes most abundant post menopause. The second, and most commonly thought of is, Estradiol (E2). This is produced by the ovaries and is usually meant when someone is talking about estrogen in women. The third is Estriol (E3), produced by the fat cells. This is the most plentiful of estrogens but is also the weakest. It is the interrelationship of these hormones and their dominance during different times in a woman's life which needs to be understood.

 During different times in our lives, in both men and women the symbiotic relationship of estrogen and testosterone with the bodies other hormones can get radical. In relation to gaining lean muscle and burning fat, having this harmonious relation is key. When one pro-hormone system becomes imbalanced it's not long before it drags  a couple of more systems with it.  For example, when your fat cell estorgen (e3) becomes too dominant it interferes with the other estrogens such as adrenal estrogen (e1) which is closely regulated by ovary estrogen (e2) and stresses the adrenal glands which produce cortisol. This hormone becomes too unregulated and a high cortisol environment is introduced in the body. Access weight gain can result because over time you don't feel energized because insulin is the next hormone system disrupted. All the while you are trying to get into shape and become healthier, but what is aerobic and anaerobic exercise? Stress to the body...and your body can't regulate stress properly at the moment.

You may need help. DIM for women and men over 40 maybe that long awaited answer. I use DIM with many clients. With a balance of a good strength training program, good fats such as omega 3s and coconut oil, as well as enough vitamin D3 and protein intake, I have witnessed some amazing results.

Doctors at UC Berkeley gave a mere 108 mg (it should have been 200 mg) of DIM to postmenopausal women in a double blind study. Their estrogen metabolism was improved dramatically in only 30 days. 
Now studies in men are ongoing but showing good results for prostate prevention. This only makes sense. Men today are showing far more estrogen dominance then their fathers or grandfathers did at their age. High estrogen and low test are becoming an epidemic, but this is another article.

Your takeaway from this article is to see a professional such as myself for a fitness evaluation, including a hormone test  to see if DIM is for you. Also, women over 40 should be lifting weights with the goal to build muscle mass.

Mike Hayden
CFS, AFS, CESP




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