42 people ate tomato paste every day for 90 days. Here's what happened to them

A study tracked healthy adults who ate concentrated tomato paste daily for three months. The trial found better attention and processing speed, with early signals of memory and brain activity changes.

In Short

• Researchers tracked 47 healthy adults aged 40 to 55 through two diets
• Participants consumed bodyweight-based tomato paste daily for three months
• After the tomato phase, selective attention and processing speed both improved

Could eating tomatoes regularly help keep the brain sharp? A new study suggests that concentrated tomato paste may improve attention and memory in healthy middle-aged adults.

Researchers followed 47 healthy adults aged between 40 and 55 in a trial designed to examine whether daily tomato consumption could influence brain function.

The participants were asked to follow two different dietary periods. For three months, they consumed concentrated tomato paste every day, with the amount based on their body weight. During another three-month period, they followed a diet with very little lycopene, a natural compound found in tomatoes.

The two phases were separated by a one-month break.

Of the 47 participants, 42 completed the study.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

After the tomato paste phase, researchers found improvements in several measures of mental performance.

Participants showed better selective attention, meaning they were better able to focus on important information while ignoring distractions. Their speed at processing information also improved.

The study also found a small improvement in associative memory, which helps people connect and remember related pieces of information, such as matching a person's face with their name.

Tomatoes are the biggest dietary source of lycopene, a natural red pigment and antioxidant.

Lycopene can cross the protective barrier between the blood and the brain, where it may help reduce damage caused by harmful molecules and inflammation.

Researchers also measured a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which plays an important role in supporting brain cells and memory.

The study found signs of an increase in BDNF after the tomato intervention, although the result was not strong enough to be considered definitive.

Brain scans also suggested that regular tomato consumption was linked to changes in the way different regions of the brain communicated with each other.

The researchers said their findings provide evidence that tomato consumption may support cognitive function and influence brain activity in healthy middle-aged adults.

However, the study was relatively small and does not prove that eating tomato paste will prevent memory loss or cognitive decline. More research involving larger and more diverse groups will be needed.

Still, the findings add another intriguing reason to put tomatoes on the plate, not just for their taste, but perhaps for the brain too.

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