Tomatoes might be changing the way your brain functions. The changes are small and subtle, but still noticeable to researchers and laboratory tests, and they go well beyond the humble tomato’s ability to outshine bacon in a BLT.
Tomatoes are red because of an antioxidant called lycopene. It can cross the blood-brain barrier, which is where substances get caught up, making potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s so tricky to pin down. This ability to cross that barrier has made scientists wonder whether it can affect how the brain functions.
In a randomized clinical trial published in Antioxidants, researchers gave 42 middle-aged adults about 35 grams of tomato paste every day for three months. Compared with a low-lycopene diet, relatively small spoonfuls of tomato paste were associated with better selective attention and a modest improvement in associative memory.
That alone was impressive. More than enough to foresee a future where tomato paste becomes the latest trend among TikTok health influencers. But then the researchers scanned the study participants’ brains.
Your Brain Might Really Like Tomatoes, According to New Research
A smaller group of 14 participants showed changes in how large brain networks communicated with each other while resting. The researchers say the pattern could represent the brain becoming more efficient and adaptable, though they were still far off and couldn’t claim that definitively.
Also found a small increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, a protein commonly associated with healthy brains and brain growth. Some in the TikTok influencer world might hear this and start recommending that you kick-start your day with an invigorating shot of marinara, but the researchers were clear about the study’s limitations, including its relatively small sample size and the fact that the trial wasn’t blinded.
That means participants knew whether they were eating tomato paste, leaving room for expectations to build that could influence the results. But it all amounts to findings that are intriguing enough to justify some more research down the line to further study lycopene’s effects on the brain, and more broadly the tomato’s effects on the brain, because while it is loaded with lycopene, tomatoes are packed with nutrients that can also be influencing brain health.
Tomatoes could be great for your brain; just hold off on those ketchup shooters before future studies confirm the effect.
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