Yes Your Urine Might Change Color When Taking DIM
I have long been an advocate of the supplement DIM, you will find many articles about it on this website. DIM is short for di-indolyl-methane and it is made from plant indoles, natural phytonutrients found aplenty in cruciferous vegetables like kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, spinach, and my favorite, broccoli. Indoles help to manage out-of-control estrogen and estriol levels in both men and women. Today I’m sharing some information about one of the possible side effects of DIM supplementation. Your urine might change color when taking DIM. It can be a surprise if you’re not expecting it, and even slightly worrisome.
While I was on the subject I took a look at all of the newest (and exciting) research on DIM and have included that information in this article as well.
About That Urine Color Change with DIM…
I have taken DIM myself on many occasions. Recently, however, I changed my DIM product to a stronger formulation and began to notice something rather odd. My urine was a dark orange, almost a bronzey red color. I have NEVER seen my urine that color before and I began to worry that I had a bladder infection or a UTI.
I almost went in for a urinalysis, but then did a quick Internet search and connected the two. DOH! These are common symptoms when taking DIM. So I stopped taking it for a day or two and the dark urine color changed back to normal. I wondered why it hadn’t happened to me before because as I say, I have taken DIM before. But then I recalled that I was taking a stronger and better formulation.
So Why Does Your Urine Change Color When You Take DIM?
Because DIM is doing great things for you! It can be a sign that it is assisting your liver to detox your body of excess estrogen metabolites and other environmental estrogens (known as xenoestrogens). For that reason, it’s a good idea to also take some sort of liver support while taking DIM supplements. The herb milk thistle is extremely good for this. Also drinking lots of green tea is helpful for liver support. Please also ensure you drink lots of filtered water when you’re taking DIM because your body is trying to excrete toxic substances and you need to help it flush them out of your body. Add a slice of lemon and get some vitamin C too!
There are times when a change of urine color should be checked out by your doctor – see Other Causes for Concern for Dark Urine, below.
New Research on DIM
I’m excited to share some new research on DIM, just released.
But firstly, an older study on mice reported in 2008 by American researchers found that DIM had anti-viral properties and immunomodulatory function – this means that when the immune system is too low, DIM will boost it, and when it is over-reacting, DIM will help to quiet it down. [1]
Research published in October 2016 by Korean researchers examining the effect of DIM on mice with colitis found that DIM has anti-inflammatory properties (always a good thing for your anti-cancer arsenal). It also suppresses the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, a growth factor associated with a tumor’s ability to create new blood vessels to feed itself, a process called angiogenesis. [2]
Chinese research published in September 2016 investigating the effects of DIM on mice undergoing total body radiation found that DIM has radioprotective properties [3]. This is great news. These researchers also found that DIM helps to offset the injury that occurs to hematopoiesis, our ability to create new blood cells. This is one of the reasons people can have alarming decreases in various blood cell types when undergoing radiation.
Joint USA/Chinese research reported in September 2016 (again on mice) found that DIM reduces prostate tumor growth by suppressing a gene known as PCGEM1, while promoting apoptosis. [4]
A joint USA/Indian study on animals released in August 2016 found that two compounds in DIM (DIM-10 and DIM-14) possessed strong anti-cancer effects, and were responsible for a significant reduction in tumor size in triple negative breast cancer cells. [5] These are cells that are not affected by hormones or HER2 status. An older 2002 study also found that DIM could induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells independent of estrogen receptor status. [6]
A July 2016 Korean study indicated DIM could also be useful for gastrointestinal cancers. [7]
A 2014 Canadian study investigated the ability of DIM to upregulate BRCA1 expression. Upregulating this breast cancer suppressor gene translates to a reduced breast cancer risk. Although a small study, the women receiving 300 mg per day (150 mg twice per day) of DIM experienced a 34% increase in BRCA1 expression. [8] Very encouraging for those carrying the BRCA1 mutation.
For those of you whose breast tumors are/were HER2 positive, DIM can help here too. A 2013 study found that DIM enhanced the anti-tumor activity of Herceptin, a targeted drug designed specifically for those whose breast cancer tumors overexpress the HER2 oncogene HER2. [10]
One other interesting thing. When taking DIM, oxygen levels in tumor cells increase. This is a really great thing because oxygen is hated by cancer cells. They thrive in anaerobic conditions (meaning without oxygen) so something natural that increases cellular oxygen levels is beneficial. The study was done at the University of California at Berkeley in 2008 and it was the first to demonstrate that DIM works by decreasing the accumulation and activity a key factor involved in angiogenesis called HIF-1alpha in hypoxic cancer cells. [9]
I really like this brand of DIM.
This is a great milk thistle supplement.
Other Causes for Concern for Dark Urine
If your urine turns dark when taking DIM, do not be alarmed. There are times, however, when you do need to be concerned and watchful for other symptoms. If your liver is diseased, you may have symptoms such as yellowing of eyes and skin, abdominal pain, pale or red stool, itchy skin, nausea and loss of appetite. Kidney disease symptoms include loss of appetite, fatigue, problems sleeping, muscles cramping and twitching, and decreased urine output.
References:
[1] 3,3′-Diindolylmethane Stimulates Murine Immune Function In Vitro and In Vivo – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2387240/
[2] Effect of Oral Administration of 3,3′-Diindolylmethane on Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Acute Colitis in Mice – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27700072
[3] 3,3′-diindolylmethane Mitigates Total Body Irradiation-induced Hematopoietic Injury in Mice – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27609226
[4] Regulation of PCGEM1 by P54/NRB in Prostate Cancer – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5041109/
[5] Novel Diindolylmethane Derivatives Based NLC Formulations to Improve the Oral Bioavailability and Anticancer Effects in Triple Negative Breast Cancer – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27586082
[6] Bcl-2 Family-mediated Apoptotic Effects of 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) in Human Breast Cancer Cells – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11931841
[7] Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of 3,3′-Diindolylmethane in Gastrointestinal Cancer – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4964527/
[8] BRCA1 mRNA Levels Following a 4–6-week Intervention with Oral 3,3′-diindolylmethane –
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183839/
[9] 3,3′-Diindolylmethane Reduces Levels of HIF-1a and HIF-1 Activity in Hypoxic Cultured Human Cancer Cells – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2387239/
[10] 3, 3′-diindolylmethane Enhances the Effectiveness of Herceptin against HER-2/Neu-Expressing Breast Cancer Cells – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3551844/
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Thank you for this article. It is bery helpful, i was a bit worry because of the color but now i see it is a good thing 😉
Mai, you’re welcome. I’m glad you found the info useful.
-Marnie
Thanks a lot for this article it has really calm me down cos l was a bit worried about my urine colour
Thanks for that ! I just googled to see if it was normal and found this ! Was a bit worried for a minute lol !
Dear Lauren,
I’m glad you found my article and that it helped you.
Sending blessings,
Marnie
Thank you very much. I hope DIM will help my fibroid problem.
Phew. I have chronic kidney infections and thought something was wrong.
Marie,
Chronic kidney infections can definitely produce blood in the urine. Keep an eye on the color of your urine and get yourself checked out if you begin to feel unwell.
Warmest regards,
Marnie Clark
Hi Marine, thank you for the great article:)
I am taking 300mg of DIM and Indole 3 Carbinol daily. Do you know if it causes bad breath? If it does are there ways to negate it and still take the supplements?
Thanks
Hi Heather,
I have not heard that DIM and I3C might cause bad breath. You might be getting a little detox reaction causing this. Since a little time has elapsed now, are you still finding this to be a problem?
Best wishes,
Marnie
Thank you for this article! I’m doing the same thing at 300mg and freaked out about it. I thought I would have to do my uti routine. Lol
Great I thought i had something wrong with me i take DIM when on a steroid cycle to Keep my estrogen down thanks for explaining great article.
Malc, you are welcome. Glad the article helped quell your fears!
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Hey! I’ve been taking DIM Plus for a month (200mg daily) and I just upped it to 250mg. I haven’t noticed a change in color, do you think that means it’s not working? I’m 18 and went on the pill to regulate hormone and instead it wrecked them. Just trying to get everything straightened back out!
Elizabeth,
DIM Plus is a reasonably good brand of DIM (not one of my favorites, but it is okay). I have noticed no urine color change with this one but that does not mean it isn’t working. I think you can safely assume it is working and doing its job. If you are wondering whether it is working or not, this article might provide a little more background for you: http://blog.healthybynaturehwc.com/a-super-supplement-for-hormone-balance-dim/
Warmest regards,
Marnie Clark
I to thought I had something wrong, thought I had blood. Thank you for this information, but it really should be on the bottle. Sure would have saved me 200.00 in medical bills
Hi Jeannie,
Ooh, that’s too bad! I agree – the label should say something about possible urine color changes.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Thank you Marnie! Was sitting in doctor’s office as she went to order a scan to look for bladder cancer (after we ruled everything else out) when I remembered I’m taking this supplement. Your article was so helpful!
Amber,
My goodness! Well I’m glad to have been of help to you.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Thank you for this article. I take DIM at night and in the am my urine is a salmon pinkish color. Would this be the DIM.
Renee,
Yes, more than likely. To be sure, stop taking it for a day or two and check the color again. If it perseveres even without the DIM, go see your doctor and get a urine test.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
I take dim a product from GNC I noticed a difference the first pill I took. I like the product but there is no change in colour in my urine I have noticed I more acne. I have a enlarged liver but enzymes are low had that before I started the dim
Thank you for this article! Are you familiar with Smoky Mountain Naturals DIM? It’s what I bought before finding your site. I’m wondering how its efficacy may compare to those you’ve linked. Have a wonderful day! 🙂
Hi Alicia,
Yes, I am familiar with Smoky Mountain Naturals brand of DIM. It is a good one as well. Efficacy will probably vary between individuals so I can’t speak to that issue, but rest assured you have a good one.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
What a fantastic, positive, knowledgeable, well written article. I have been taking DIM for about a month now and have been searching for more than just the typical benefits that you see on YouTube and such. Thanks so much for taking the time and efforts to do the research so that we can all benefit from it. You Rock.
Bobby,
Well gosh – thanks so much for sharing that with me. You rock too!
Warmest regards,
Marnie
I’m 39 years old, always very regular periods, never problems. I supplemented for 5 days with DIM 100mg and stopped on day 5. While my skin cleared up almost overnight and my sleep was amazing for the first time in ages, I suffered bad headaches which continued for 7 days after stopping the supplements. Also after stopping I experienced a huge surge in appetite, craving carbs (which usually only happens before period) and hot flushes which I have never before experienced! I am terrified I’ve disrupted my hormonal balance? Any idea why this would have happened? All the reading I’ve done since says it relieves all these things (if you have them in the first place) please help, will my body rebalance? Thanks
Anna,
I make it a habit of never trying to sort out someone’s health problems via an on-line chat. There are way too many variables involved. I would suggest you seek out the help of a functional medicine doctor. Just google your city/town name and “functional medicine” and hopefully there will be one near you. If not, try a naturopath. It is necessary to delve a little deeper into why you are experiencing these symptoms. I doubt very much whether DIM is responsible for all of them. I wish you much healing.
Warmest regards,
Marnie Clark
I am a patient at Dr Jonathan Wright’s (MD-ND )Tahoma Clinic in Seattle and was recently put on DIM – and yes, my urine turned orange. The brand my Dr recommended
is DIM-Evail by Designs for Health. I take 100 mg twice a day with a meal
Hi Pat,
Thanks for sharing that with us!
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Hi! I am taking DIM Plus. Can DIM turn urine into pinkish color?
Hi Vannie,
Yes it can definitely do that – a pinky/orange colored urine can result from the use of DIM. Good way to find out: stop taking it for a few days. If your urine returns to its normal color, it’s definitely the DIM. If it doesn’t, go and see your doctor for a urine analysis.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
I am about to start radiation therapy, and wondered if I should stop the DIM until finished with treatment. I know it acts like an AI (aromatase inhibitor), and the doctor won’t let me start those until after radiation because they interfere with the treatment. I can’t ask my oncologist because she never heard of DIM, and isn’t interested in learning about it since it can’t be regulated – only want prescribed RX’s so they can quote statistics.
Hi Sheryl,
I would definitely use the DIM (along with a whole bunch of other fruits and vegetables) because it is a radioprotector – which means that it helps to protect your cells from radiation. Here’s the research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3831962/ I used DIM instead of hormone blocking meds and I’m still here to tell the tale 15 years later. Hope that helps you make that decision!
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Hey there, I have just started taking dim with all of the urine change but I have noticed my dim powder is a whitey creamy colour in the capsules, are they not meant to be green? I am taking lifetropics brand
Hi David,
No, all of the DIM supplements I’ve seen are the same color as yours, not green.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful and informative article. I cannot imagine the amount of time you invested researching all of those sources of info, but I do know that it was time I did not have to invest… and after I went from tangerine orange ti almost dark beet red color in my urine, I was getting desperate for a source… and worried….
And, thank you that I can stop drinking this cranberry juice!
John,
Ha ha! You are so welcome – I’m glad I was able to help put your mind at ease.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Thank you for this article! I recently started taking DIM by Envy Nutrition and noticed my urine was a bright orange like a pumpkin after starting that (usually normal colored if not clear depending on how much water I drink), but I wasn’t sure which supplement was causing it as I also take Berberine by Immunikaid which is a bright yellow powder in a capsule and thought that might have been the culprit. Anywho, I ended up on Google trying to see if Berberine was the cause when in the search results I saw this article! I was relieved to find that out! I wasn’t sure what was going on so now I can rest easy knowing it’s from the DIM and not causing problems. 🙂 I take DIM, Berberine, Milk Thistle, Flaxseed Oil, and Vitex+ (Chaste tree berry extract) for my PCOS.
Miss,
I’m so glad the article helped to clear that up for you. Exactly why I wrote it!
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Oh wow!!! Thank you so much for this article!! I just started taking DIM -the Spring Valley brand-it calls for 2x/day of 200 mg capsules. I see only a slight orange tint in my wipe- the urine in the bowl looks golden. I have been nauseas though and I have seen a few small tiny bumps on my skin that itch. However I just moved upstate NY from Texas and I am drinking filtered water from a Brita pitcher. Also my skin is very sensitive and the move may have an impact on this. I wanted to go to the emergency clinic but I think I am producing stress over the urine and google searches and triggering my own body. I want to stop taking the DIM for a day or 2 to see if the urine goes back to normal but I am afraid this will throw my hormones off…what do you think? On that note- since taking DIM I notice better skin, better sleep and better mood, so does this mean I have to take DIM forever? Thank you!!!
Hi Dulce,
Sorry for the late response. I’ve got a lot of email at the moment! Yes, indeed – do stop taking the DIM for a day or two to see if the urine color changes. More than likely the change is due to the DIM. Your body shouldn’t be thrown off balance by stopping for just a day or two. You don’t have to take DIM forever but depending on your medical history, you might want to switch it for something else every 3-4 months. Just go off of it for that brief span of time and take something else – like calcium-d-glucarate or this supplement I like called Cruciferous Vegetable Extract by Life Extension (link).
Hope that info helps –
Marnie Clark
Thanks for your article Marnie. I’ve been in menopause for about two years now. Have regularly taken DIM-plus (pre-menopause) to help balance my hormones…I used to get swollen breasts and soreness before my period and DIM-plus helped. I stopped taking it last year…no reason really, just figured it wasn’t doing much to help now that I’m in menopause. Started taking it again but this time took the recommended dosage which is 2 pills/day. In the past I only took one. Long story short, almost immediately after taking it, I noticed that my urine had changed color…it was a pinkish-orange at times. Thought it might be a sign of blood in my urine and startled me a bit until I came across your article. Stopped taking it for one day and the color was back to normal. I plan to resume taking DIM…maybe sticking to one pill per day, but I can’t thank you enough for your article…it was very enlightening and put me at ease!
Linda,
I’m pleased to know that the article helped to put your mind at ease – exactly why I decided to write it. What you might try is to split the dosage – take one in the afternoon with lunch and the other in the evening with dinner. See if it still has the same effect. At any rate, there’s no harm in the urine color change. I wish you the best of health.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Hello,
I was looking all over for information on dim and I must say that this was a wonderful post. I’m a bit new to taking dim. I’ve heard that dim can help eradicate hormonal acne is that true? and is it ok to take with antibiotics? I’ve been battling acne for year’s I’ve tried everything but nothing has been working. I would ask my doctor for more insight, but My doctors tend to be as clueless as I am.
Question:
Can I take DIM with Myomin which is also a natural Aromatase Inhibitor?
I started both a few days ago.
Hello Vi-
I would not actually recommend taking both of these as they do have similar methods of action. You don’t need them both together. I would recommend switching off between them – taking the Myomin for a few months, and then switching to DIM for a few months. This works well for several of my clients.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
My dr increased my dose of dim to 400mg, my urine is a burnt orange, why should I do a liver detox or supplement?
Hi Robin,
I’m not sure I am understanding your question – would you like to restate it? The article doesn’t state you should do a liver detox, only that the DIM can help your liver to do that. Toxins can build up in the liver (and there are so many more toxins present in our environment these days) so to keep it functioning well, doing a liver detox makes good sense. Hopefully this answers your question but if not, let me know.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Hi, Can I cycle DIM? I want to stop taking DIM for a week (7 days) about every month but I am afraid this will throw my hormones off. Please advise.
Thank you.
Bijan
Bijan,
I would need to know a lot more about you and your hormones before blindly offering advice like this. I would recommend working closely with a naturopath who has training using the DUTCH test to see where your hormone levels actually are. Otherwise it’s just guess-work. You can find out more about the DUTCH test here: https://dutchtest.com/
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Hi, Marnie
Thank you for your previous advice about cycling DIM. I was also wondering if DIM would affect the liver in a negative way? If I read correctly you said something about DIM assisting the liver to detox and because of that it was a good idea to supplement with milk thistle, drinking green tea and lots of filtered water, etc.
I ask because before I started taking DIM my blood test I had a few months ago as far as liver function concern goes showed that my ALT (liver enzyme) was low (16 which was within the normal range), but since I started taking DIM my blood test I had a few days ago showed my ALT was high at 54 (upper limit for normal range is 47).
Thank you.
Hi Bijan,
Before I could answer this question about DIM affecting the liver in a negative way, I’d need to know quite a few things about what form of DIM you were taking, what other things you were taking at the same time, etc. It can be fairly complicated. There are a few things that can affect ALT, but I am no expert on them. Your best bet would be to consult a functional medicine doctor or oncology naturopath.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
Hello Marnie,
I Just started taking Force Factor’s DIM 2 days ago and “wow” my urine and stole turned super orange! If it were not that I had a comprehensive blood exam done 5 days ago, which included cortisol, Total test/free, TSH, T3/4 , liver function- kidneys; the works. I would have been calling my doctor to see him again! Since I had no discoloration in my urine previous ly (I had urinalysis done also with my blood work) everything came back fine save for low test and elevated estrogen, I just might have become “panicky “ which isn’t me in the least. I decided I’d stop taking the DIM and see if it reverted to normal coloration. It’s not that I doubt what you’ve written, having done the same taking off of DIM to see if it changed back and it did. I want to experience it for myself to ease my mind. I am so glad that I chose your search that came up first. TG.
Thank you for the very detailed explanation of DIM and how you should bolster its efficacy with vitamin C and liver support. I’ll be putting your name in searches with any future issues that may arise. Thank you
Hi Ralph,
Thanks for sharing that with us, happy to be of assistance to you.
Warmest regards,
Marnie
I also experienced pumpkin pee, quite shocking the first time i saw this, i have been on 200mg of dim 2 times per day for 3 weeks and i have never felt better in my life. Sport performance much better + much less need for coffee to get me through the day. One question I have, how long should/could I expect to see orange pee? I assume as I clear out what I assume is micro plastics and toxic plastic additives such as BPA from my body, the orange color will diminish?
Hi Neal,
Pumpkin pee! Ha ha! That’s great. With regard to your question about how long you might expect to see orange urine, I can only tell you that sometimes it does diminish over time, but not always! It varies from person to person. Now that a few weeks have elapsed, feel free to report back and let us know whether or not this has changed for you.
Warmest regards,
Marnie Clark