A couple of daily tablespoons of a common pantry staple often used to make pasta sauce richer were linked to better attention and processing speed, a small new study found.
Researchers in Spain found that participants who ate about two tablespoons of tomato paste every day for three months scored slightly higher on tests of concentration, processing speed and associative memory than when they followed a diet low in lycopene, the red antioxidant pigment found in tomatoes and other fruits.
Forty-two healthy adults ages 40 to 55 completed the study and spent three months on each diet with a one-month washout period in between. When they ate the low-lycopene diet, they stuck to their usual eating habits and avoided foods such as tomatoes.
During the tomato paste phase, they consumed 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight each day, averaging about 35 grams daily. Afterwards, participants scored an average of 7.2 points higher for concentration, 8.3 points higher for processing speed and 0.8 points higher on a test matching faces with names.
The trial used a randomized crossover design, meaning participants served as their own comparisons before and after eating the tomato paste.
Their blood tests also showed a borderline increase in BDNF, a protein involved in brain-cell growth and adaptability, according to the research.
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Brain scans in a small subset of participants also showed changes in resting connectivity, which is how different brain regions work when a person is not focused on a specific task.
Researchers said the pattern could suggest more efficient brain communication, but the small sample means it does not prove a meaningful brain benefit.
The study, published in the journal Antioxidants earlier this year, did not show that tomato paste prevents cognitive decline or disease, but it offers an early look at how lycopene-rich tomato foods may affect the brain, the researchers said. They called the findings preliminary and said larger studies are needed.
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Dr. John Showalter, a Pennsylvania-based internal medicine physician and chief operating officer of Linus Health, said that, while the trial was small, it fits into a larger body of research that says people need naturally red foods in their diets.
The low-lycopene phase may be the study's most telling comparison, Showalter told Fox News Digital. Rather than showing tomato paste acts as a standalone cognitive enhancer, he said, the results suggest that restricting lycopene-rich foods may leave the brain functioning less well.
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"We know that people that have low lycopene levels have a higher mortality rate, they have more cardiovascular events, and there's been increasing literature that low lycopene is bad for your brain," he said.
Watermelon, papaya and red peppers also contain lycopene, though cooked and concentrated tomato foods, including ketchup and sun-dried tomatoes, can provide especially high amounts, Showalter added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.