Scientists had people eat tomato paste every day. This is what their brain scans looked like after 3 months

 Didn't your competent? doctor already figure out your daily protocol needs of lycopene via tomatoes? And BDNF needs?

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Scientists had people eat tomato paste every day. This is what their brain scans looked like after 3 months

Researchers looked at everything from blood markers to attention for clues about how the brain might respond to consuming tomato paste regularly.

A small study found that healthy adults ages 40 to 55 performed better on measures of concentration and processing speed after consuming about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste daily for three months.

• Daily tomato paste consumption was associated with higher blood levels of lycopene and modestly higher levels of BDNF, a protein tied to how brain cells adapt.
• Researchers called the findings preliminary, noting that participants were healthy and mostly well-educated and that compounds in tomato paste besides lycopene may have contributed to the observed effects.

Science is giving you one more reason to enjoy an extra scoop of tomato sauce on your spaghetti tonight.

In May 2026, researchers from Barcelona published their study in Antioxidants, examining the effects of daily tomato paste consumption on the human brain.

To understand what tomato paste might do for us, the team enrolled 47 healthy adults between the ages of 40 and 55 (42 completed the study) and had each of them follow two diets for three months each, in random order, with a one-month break in between. On the tomato paste diet, volunteers kept their regular eating habits and added tomato paste, dosed by body weight, averaging about 35 grams a day, or roughly 2 tablespoons. On the control diet, they ate their usual foods but cut back on tomatoes and other lycopene-rich foods (lycopene is the compound that gives tomatoes their gorgeous red hue), such as watermelon, papaya, grapefruit and guava.

Related: I Tested 8 Ways to Store Tomatoes — This Simple Trick Kept Them Juicy and Mold-Free for Over a Week

 Related video: How eating an avocado every day can affect your heart, gut and cholesterol (Welltica+) 

Before and after each phase, the researchers collected blood samples from the entire group, performed brain scans on some participants, and measured attention with a pencil-and-paper test. Participants scanned rows of the letters “d” and “p,” each marked with tiny dashes, and marked only the d’s with exactly two dashes, at 20 seconds per line. After the tomato intervention, the team found that participants scored about seven points higher on concentration and eight points higher on processing speed than during the control months on a low-lycopene diet.

The team also looked for clues as to why this change may occur and found that blood levels of lycopene climbed during the tomato months, and so did a protein tied to how brain cells adapt, called BDNF, albeit modestly. Brain scans of 14 of the volunteers also suggested that after the tomato paste intervention, two networks (the frontoparietal and auditory networks) in the brain were less tightly linked to other regions while at rest, which the researchers suggested could mean a more efficient pattern of brain connectivity at rest, which could mean a more streamlined way of communicating.

The results are promising, but the team is quick to note that they are “preliminary.” Additionally, the study was conducted on healthy, mostly well-educated people, which may influence their memory and attention.

What is lycopene?

Lycopene belongs to a family of plant compounds called carotenoids and acts as an antioxidant that helps protect cells from oxidative damage. It is the natural pigment that gives tomatoes, watermelon, and several other fruits their red or pink color. Common food sources include:

• Tomatoes and tomato products, including tomato paste
• Watermelon
• Pink and red grapefruit
• Guava
• Papaya

Cooking and processing tomatoes can make their lycopene easier for the body to absorb. Lycopene is also fat-soluble, so eating tomato products with olive oil, cheese, avocado, or another fat source can help the body absorb it.

While lycopene seems like a likely suspect for these changes, the team also noted that the study used tomato paste, so they can’t rule out the possibility that other compounds may play a role. Still, it’s a start. As the researchers wrote in the paper, “These findings provide evidence that tomato consumption may support cognitive function and modulate brain connectivity in healthy middle-aged adults.”

Related: Check the Label Before Buying Canned Tomatoes — This Ingredient Can Ruin Your Sauce

While this study has caveats, ScienceAlert noted it’s not the only study to reach similar conclusions. A previous pilot study on older adults also found that eating a congee made with tomato powder for eight weeks improved cognitive function. So go ahead and try one of these tomato paste-rich recipes tonight, just in case.

Reviewed by

Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD, CLEC: Lauren is an award-winning registered dietitian and three-time book author, with more than 22 years in the field.

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