A hot slice of pizza and a glass of red wine? Heaven. A big, hearty lasagna after a long day of work? Pure bliss. If you’re like me and salivate at just the thought of Italian food, you’ll want to listen up. New research shows that a natural plant extract found in tomatoes could actually help fight depression—and not just at dinner time.
Lycopene may have antidepressant properties.
A study published this week in the journal Food Science & Nutrition looked at how lycopene treatment affected mice with depressive-like behaviors. Lycopene is an organic compound that gives tomatoes and other red and pink fruits their pigment.
According to a press release, the depressed mice had impairments in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that helps with learning and memory. When they received the lycopene treatment, these impairments decreased, and their depressive states improved.
“Experiments indicated that a signaling pathway involving BDNF (called the BDNF-TrkB pathway, which helps regulate learning, memory, and communication between neurons) is inhibited in mice with depression, and that lycopene treatment alleviates this inhibition,” explains the press release.
The study authors say they plan to conduct further research to determine if and how lycopene could be used as an antidepressant treatment in humans.
Tomatoes have been previously studied to treat depressive symptoms.
This is not the first time lycopene has been linked to antidepressant properties. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that a tomato-rich diet was connected to a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms among 986 Japanese individuals aged 70 years and older.
The researchers noted that lycopene is “the most powerful antioxidant amongst the carotenoids.” According to Cleveland Clinic, there are more than 600 types of carotenoids in nature.
“Carotenoids are pigments that give red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables their color,” registered dietitian Devon Peart, RD, MHSc, told Cleveland Clinic. “They’re made by plants and algae, as well as some bacteria and fungi.”
By reducing oxidative stress on cells, these antioxidants can promote eye health, lower cancer risk, and protect against heart disease, among other benefits.
RELATED: 12 Best Foods to Ease Anxiety, Experts Say.
Lycopene’s other health benefits shouldn’t be overlooked, either.
To that point, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its list of “powerhouse” fruits and vegetables, which it defines as those “most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk.” Coming in at number one among fruits? Tomatoes.
As Best Lifereported at the time, “Lycopene…helps rid the body of free radicals that can damage DNA. Research has shown that lycopene can lower the risk of prostate cancer, as well as the risk of stroke.”
The redder the tomato, the higher its lycopene content, which it retains regardless of whether it’s prepared raw, cooked, or even sun-dried.
And though lycopene exists in watermelon, red bell peppers, and pink and red grapefruit, it’s most abundant in tomatoes. In fact, John Erdman, a professor emeritus of nutrition and food science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told The New York Times that tomatoes and tomato products (think ketchup and spaghetti sauce) account for more than 80 percent of lycopene in an average U.S. diet.
But the benefits don’t stop there: Tomatoes are high in potassium, folate, and vitamin K. They also contain a lot of another powerful antioxidant, beta-carotene, which helps with vision health and inflammation.
RELATED: This “Powerhouse” Vegetable Is the Healthiest, CDC Says—But You’re Probably Not Eating It.
The takeaway:
Tomatoes offer abundant health benefits, from vision health to a lower risk of certain cancers.
Now, a new study suggests that tomatoes can also reduce depressive symptoms thanks to their high content of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Previous research has also linked tomato-rich diets with antidepressant effects. However, more research is needed to determine if lycopene can be used as a treatment for depression in humans.