Two Tablespoons of Tomato Paste a Day May Boost Brain Performance, Study Suggests
A study of 42 adults found that eating about 35 grams of tomato paste daily was associated with higher scores on tests of attention, processing speed, and associative memory - though researchers stress the findings are preliminary.
A small Spanish study of 42 adults found that eating about 35 grams of tomato paste daily was linked to better scores in attention, processing speed, and associative memory tests. Researchers caution the findings are preliminary and far from a proven brain hack.
Should two tablespoons of tomato paste count as your daily brain supplement?
- Yes
- No opinion
- No
Tomato paste is a pantry staple, but a small study published in the journal Antioxidants is drawing attention to a possible connection between the condiment and cognitive function. According to Israel Hayom, researchers in Spain recruited 42 healthy adults aged 40 to 55 and had them go through two dietary periods - one rich in lycopene and one low in lycopene - with a washout interval in between. During the lycopene-rich period, participants consumed roughly 35 grams of tomato paste per day for three months. Lycopene is the red pigment and antioxidant found in high concentrations in tomatoes and tomato products. When the researchers compared performance between the two periods, they observed average differences of 7.2 points on concentration tests, 8.3 points on processing speed, and 0.8 points on a face-name matching task. Blood tests also showed a borderline rise in BDNF, a protein linked to nerve cell growth and flexibility. A subset of participants underwent brain scans that showed some changes in resting-state connectivity, though the sample for that part of the analysis was very small. The researchers themselves noted that the overall sample size does not allow firm conclusions about a meaningful cognitive benefit, and that larger, longer studies are needed. Dr. John Showalter, an internal medicine specialist cited by Israel Hayom, suggested the findings may reflect the downside of reducing lycopene intake rather than a direct brain-boosting effect of tomato paste. Tomato paste is one of the most concentrated food sources of lycopene, alongside sun-dried tomatoes, ketchup, watermelon, and papaya.
Voting yes means you think the evidence - even if preliminary - is strong enough to justify treating two tablespoons of tomato paste as a worthwhile daily addition for brain health, in the same spirit as a dietary supplement. Voting no means you think the study is too small and its findings too uncertain to elevate a common condiment to the status of a brain supplement. The poll surfaces how much weight people give to early-stage nutritional research when deciding what to add to their daily routine.