Two spoonfuls of tomato paste a day may improve concentration, according to a study

Spanish researchers have found that daily consumption of tomato paste for three months can have a positive effect on attention and information processing speed. The study involved 42 people aged 40 to 55.

Participants added an average of about 35 grams of tomato paste per day—roughly two tablespoons—to their usual diet. In another phase of the experiment, they limited their intake of tomatoes and other foods rich in lycopene—an antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color.

 After the period of tomato paste consumption, participants scored approximately seven points higher on measures of attention span and eight points higher on measures of information processing speed compared to the control phase.

The researchers also observed an increase in blood levels of lycopene and the protein BDNF, which is associated with brain cell function and adaptation. Brain scans of some participants revealed changes in the interactions between individual neural networks.

The researchers suggest that tomato paste may help support cognitive function. At the same time, they emphasize that the results are preliminary: the study was small and involved healthy middle-aged adults. Furthermore, it is impossible to conclude that the effect was caused solely by lycopene, as tomato paste contains other compounds as well.

Researchers at the Universities of Sheffield and York in the United Kingdom have, for the first time, obtained detailed images of two DNA double helices located next to aligned grooves.

The researchers presented the architecture of Quantum Phononic Links (QPLs), which are designed to transmit quantum information between distant qubits using phonons—quasiparticles that carry vibrational energy.