DIM
Other ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Compound from cruciferous vegetables studied for estrogen metabolite patterns. It is not a stand-alone hormone therapy and has important drug-interaction and hormone-sensitive cancer cautions.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
DIM is an other most often used for estrogen metabolism support (limited), hormonal acne support (limited), prostate biomarker support (early clinical). NutriStack rates the overall evidence as emerging. A typical adult dose is 100-200 mg daily, commonly taken as microencapsulated dim (bioresponse dim for bioavailability). This profile indexes 21 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating emerging. Most-documented uses: estrogen metabolism support (limited), hormonal acne support (limited), prostate biomarker support (early clinical). 21 sources indexed (1998–2025), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
May shift estrogen metabolite patterns toward 2-hydroxy pathways, but also induces CYP1A2, CYP3A4, and MDR1 through AhR and PXR signaling. Low physiologic concentrations activated ERalpha in breast cancer cells in vitro, so hormone-sensitive use requires clinician guidance.10,1
Dosing & protocol.
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Microencapsulated DIM.
Assumes 100-200 mg/day. Vendor basis: NOW/iHerb, Vitacost, Pure Encapsulations, and Amazon marketplace; BioResponse DIM-style products cost more. Updated 2026-05-28.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Cruciferous vegetables provide indole-3-carbinol precursors; actual DIM formation varies.
Full safety detail.
Side effects
- GI upset
- Headache
- Dark urine (harmless)
- Hormonal shifts initially
- CYP1A2, CYP3A4, and MDR1 induction may reduce medication effectiveness
- May reduce endoxifen levels in tamoxifen users
- Hormone-sensitive effects are context-dependent; low concentrations activated ERalpha in breast cancer cells in vitro
Contraindications
- Tamoxifen therapy unless oncologist-approved3
- Oral contraceptives or hormone therapy unless clinician-supervised7,10
- Hormone-sensitive cancers (may activate ERalpha at physiologic concentrations; oncologist guidance required)10,15
- CYP1A2, CYP3A4, or P-glycoprotein substrate medications unless clinician-supervised
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Randomized controlled trials
10- 1Effectiveness of 3,3'-Diindolylmethane Supplements on Favoring the Benign Estrogen Metabolism Pathway and Decreasing Body Fat in Premenopausal WomenPMIDPerez-Stable C et al. · J Womens Health (Larchmt) · 2022
DIM supplementation favored the benign estrogen metabolism pathway (2-hydroxy) and was associated with decreased body fat in premenopausal women.
- 23,3-Diindolylmethane (DIM): a nutritional intervention and its impact on breast density in healthy BRCA carriers. A prospective clinical trial.PMIDYerushalmi R, Bargil S, Ber Y, Ozlavo R, Sivan T, Rapson Y et al. · Carcinogenesis · 2020
DIM supplementation for 12 months showed a trend toward reduced mammographic breast density in healthy BRCA carriers, suggesting potential chemopreventive effects.
- 3A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of diindolylmethane for breast cancer biomarker modulation in patients taking tamoxifenPMIDThomson CA et al. · Breast Cancer Res Treat · 2017
BR-DIM improved estrogen metabolite ratios and SHBG but significantly reduced plasma tamoxifen metabolites including endoxifen, requiring oncologist oversight in tamoxifen users.
- 4Phase Ib placebo-controlled, tissue biomarker trial of diindolylmethane (BR-DIMNG) in patients with prostate cancer who are undergoing prostatectomyPMIDGee JR, Saltzstein DR, Messing E et al. · European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP) · 2016
Gee JR, Saltzstein DR, Messing E et al.. Phase Ib placebo-controlled, tissue biomarker trial of diindolylmethane (BR-DIMNG) in patients with prostate cancer who are undergoing prostatectomy. European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP). 2016
- 5Double-blind randomized placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial (phase IIa) on diindolylmethane's efficacy and safety in the treatment of CIN: implications for cervical cancer preventionPMIDAshrafian L, Sukhikh G, Kiselev V et al. · The EPMA journal · 2015
Ashrafian L, Sukhikh G, Kiselev V et al.. Double-blind randomized placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial (phase IIa) on diindolylmethane's efficacy and safety in the treatment of CIN: implications for cervical cancer prevention. The EPMA journal. 2015
- 63,3'-diindolylmethane modulates estrogen metabolism in patients with thyroid proliferative disease: a pilot studyPMIDLe HT et al. · Thyroid · 2011
The 2-hydroxyestrone:16-hydroxyestrone ratio increased significantly in patients taking DIM.
- 7A phase I dose-escalation study of oral BR-DIM (BioResponse 3,3'-Diindolylmethane) in castrate-resistant, non-metastatic prostate cancerPMIDHeath EI et al. · Invest New Drugs · 2010
BR-DIM was well tolerated with minimal toxicity; 93% of patients had detectable prostatic DIM levels with inhibitory effects on AR and PSA observed.
- 8Absorption of diindolylmethane from a stable formulation: bioavailability and dose proportionalitySource linkedPMIDReed GA, Peterson KS, Smith HJ et al. · Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev · 2008
- 9Absorption and metabolism of diindolylmethaneSource linkedPMIDZeligs MA, Jacobs IC, Ho J et al. · In Vivo · 2006
- 10Pilot study: effect of 3,3'-diindolylmethane supplements on urinary hormone metabolites in postmenopausal women with a history of early-stage breast cancerPMIDDalessandri KM et al. · Nutr Cancer · 2004
DIM-treated subjects showed significant increases in 2-hydroxyestrone and a 47% increase in the 2-OHE1/16alpha-OHE1 ratio (favorable estrogen metabolite).
Reviews & position papers
6- 11Unveiling the Multifaceted Pharmacological Actions of Indole-3-Carbinol and Diindolylmethane: A Comprehensive ReviewPMIDSrikanth Y, Reddy DH, Anusha VL et al. · Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
Srikanth Y, Reddy DH, Anusha VL et al.. Unveiling the Multifaceted Pharmacological Actions of Indole-3-Carbinol and Diindolylmethane: A Comprehensive Review. Plants (Basel, Switzerland). 2025
- 12Nanoformulated 3'-diindolylmethane modulates apoptosis, migration, and angiogenesis in breast cancer cellsPMIDHarakeh S, Akefe IO, Saber SH et al. · Heliyon · 2024
Harakeh S, Akefe IO, Saber SH et al.. Nanoformulated 3'-diindolylmethane modulates apoptosis, migration, and angiogenesis in breast cancer cells. Heliyon. 2024
- 13Investigating the Inhibition of Diindolylmethane Derivatives on SARS-CoV-2 Main ProteasePMIDLi W, Chang X, Zhou H et al. · Journal of molecular recognition : JMR · 2024
Li W, Chang X, Zhou H et al.. Investigating the Inhibition of Diindolylmethane Derivatives on SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. Journal of molecular recognition : JMR. 2024
- 14Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 3,3'-diindolylmethane N-linked glycoconjugate as a leishmanial topoisomerase IB inhibitor with reduced cytotoxicityPMIDKour P, Saha P, Bhattacharya S et al. · RSC medicinal chemistry · 2023
Kour P, Saha P, Bhattacharya S et al.. Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 3,3'-diindolylmethane N-linked glycoconjugate as a leishmanial topoisomerase IB inhibitor with reduced cytotoxicity. RSC medicinal chemistry. 2023
- 15Indole-3-carbinol and diindolylmethane as hormone-modulating agentsSource linkedPMIDRajoria S, Suriano R, Parber A et al. · J Thyroid Res · 2011
- 16A review of the clinical efficacy and safety of cruciferous vegetable phytochemicalsPMIDDingley KH et al. · Nutr Cancer · 2007
Limited evidence of clinically relevant activity of DIM and limited long-term safety data; more clinical trials with DIM than with I3C are still needed.
Mechanistic & preclinical
3- 17Diindolylmethane, a naturally occurring compound, induces CYP3A4 and MDR1 gene expression by activating human PXRPMIDPondugula SR, Flannery PC, Abbott KL et al. · Toxicology Letters · 2015
DIM induced CYP3A4 and MDR1 expression at physiologically relevant concentrations, supporting drug-interaction cautions.
- 18Low levels of 3,3'-diindolylmethane activate estrogen receptor alpha and induce proliferation of breast cancer cells in the absence of estradiolPMIDMarques M, Laflamme L, Benassou I et al. · BMC Cancer · 2014
Physiologically obtainable DIM concentrations activated ERalpha signaling and increased proliferation in ER-positive breast cancer cell lines without estradiol.
- 193,3'-Diindolylmethane induces CYP1A2 in cultured precision-cut human liver slicesPMIDLake BG, Tredger JM, Renwick AB et al. · Xenobiotica · 1998
Human liver slice work found DIM induced CYP1A enzymes, supporting medication interaction cautions.
Reference material
2- 20Newman MS, Smeaton J. The impact of 3,3'-diindolylmethane on estradiol and estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal women using a transdermal estradiol patch. Menopause (New York, N.Y.). 2025Source linkedPMID
- 21Pillaiyar T, Gorska E, Schnakenburg G et al.. General Synthesis of Unsymmetrical 3,3'-(Aza)diindolylmethane Derivatives. The Journal of organic chemistry. 2018Source linkedPMID
Common questions.
Quick answers about DIM, drawn from the data on this page.
What is DIM?
Compound from cruciferous vegetables studied for estrogen metabolite patterns. It is not a stand-alone hormone therapy and has important drug-interaction and hormone-sensitive cancer cautions.
What is DIM used for?
Commonly cited benefits of DIM include: Estrogen metabolism support (limited); Hormonal acne support (limited); Prostate biomarker support (early clinical); Cruciferous compound support. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as emerging.
What is a typical dose of DIM?
A typical adult dose of DIM is 100-200 mg daily. The commonly recommended form is Microencapsulated DIM (BioResponse DIM for bioavailability). These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of DIM?
Reported side effects include gi upset, headache, dark urine (harmless), hormonal shifts initially, cyp1a2, cyp3a4, and mdr1 induction may reduce medication effectiveness, may reduce endoxifen levels in tamoxifen users. This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for DIM?
NutriStack rates this as Emerging, meaning early RCT signal, mechanistic data, or limited human evidence. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
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