What happened to people's brains when they ate 2 tablespoons of tomato paste every day

A clinical trial in Spain suggests tomato paste may benefit brain function by raising lycopene levels. Researchers tested how tomatoes affect cognition in 42 healthy adults aged “middle-aged,” comparing a group consuming 35 grams of tomato paste daily for three months with another group restricting foods rich in lycopene, such as tomatoes, watermelon, papaya, grapefruit and guava. Published in the journal Antioxidants, results pointed to improved selective attention and better associative memory. A smaller subset also underwent brain scans showing changes in functional connectivity and differences in synchronization in attention-related regions. The study linked the effects to increased BDNF alongside lycopene, though authors noted it’s hard to isolate lycopene from other tomato nutrients.