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Volume 5 Issue 2

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Q. WHAT IS ESTROGEN DOMINANCE? A. Middle-aged men and women experience changes in hormone produc on and metabolism resul ng in excess estrogen ac on. There are three basic forms of this common imbalance known as estrogen dominance. Perimenopause. In women, slower hormone metabolism in midlife can mean higher-than-normal levels of estrogen and a deficiency in its healthy metabolites. Faltering estrogen metabolism o en occurs in women during perimenopause, the years before menopause, and is characterized by higher monthly estrogen levels prior to estrogen's drama c fall at menopause. Addi onally, progesterone levels fall during perimenopause, resul ng in a rising estrogen-to-progesterone ra o. Middle-aged men. Rising estrogen also becomes a problem for men during their 50s and 60s. In overweight men, testosterone is increasingly converted into estrogen by aromatase and rising estrogen also competes with falling testosterone. This corresponds to a me during which estrogen accumulates in the prostate gland. Estrogen is believed to contribute to benign prosta c hypertrophy (BPH). Acquired estrogen imbalance. This important form of estrogen dominance has to do with inherited problems in estrogen metabolism and influences of diet and chemicals on beneficial metabolite produc on. Acquired estrogen imbalance affects both men and women. Almost 20 years ago, H. Leon Bradlow, Ph.D., a renowned breast cancer inves gator, discovered women with breast and uterine cancer made too li le of the 2-hydroxy or "good" metabolite of estrogen and too much of the 16-hydroxy or "bad" variety. Since 16-hydroxy is an unregulated form of estrogen prone to behave like "super-estrogen," higher levels create a par cularly unhealthy form of estrogen dominance. 16-hydroxy estrogens can result in muta ons, abnormal growth (as in cervical dysplasia), and an increased risk of future breast cancer. Overproduc on of 16-hydroxy estrogen is also seen in obesity, high-fat diets, and exposure to a host of "estrogenic" environmental chemicals. Therefore, this dangerous form of estrogen dominance can result from inheritance, diet, and environmental chemicals. Q. WHAT BENEFITS CAN DIM OFFER? A. Supplemen ng our diets with DIM can shi the produc on of estrogen metabolites away from dangerous 16-hydroxy in favor of beneficial 2-hydroxy metabolites. Taking DIM in an absorbable formula on encourages ac ve and healthy estrogen metabolism. DIM supports estrogen balance by increasing beneficial 2-hydroxy estrogens and reducing the unwanted 16-hydroxy variety. This improves estrogen metabolism and helps resolve all three forms of estrogen dominance. Q. WHY NOT JUST EAT MORE CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES? A. Recent reports, like one from the Fred Hutchison Cancer Center in Sea le, Washington indicate a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer. This study indicates cruciferous vegetables are protec ve for hormone-sensi ve cancers. However, direct measurements of upward, beneficial shi s in estrogen metabolism indicate you would have to eat at least two pounds per day of raw or lightly cooked cruciferous vegetables to derive the same benefit as two capsules of specially formulated DIM. Benefits for cervical dysplasia, PMS, BPH, and other condi ons have not been seen with the use of broccoli, cabbage juice, or dried powders or extracts from vegetables. Absorbable DIM formula ons overcome the need for ac ve enzymes within the vegetable and chemical reac ons in your stomach to produce DIM. For similar reasons, absorbable DIM provides many advantages over indole-3carbinol (I3C), another cruciferous phytochemical available as a supplement. I3C is an unstable precursor that requires ac va on in the stomach to be converted into DIM. This means I3C must be taken at a much higher dose and can undergo unpredictable and undesirable chemical reac ons in your stomach and colon. DIM, in a delivery system to assure absorp on, is by far preferable to the supplemental use of I3C. Page 74 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com

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