People who eat more lycopene in tomatoes have less depression. At least that's what the headlines say. Is it true?
The Science
Studies tell us that people who eat more tomatoes and related products have a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms. For example, Japanese research using 1000 people found that a tomato-rich diet, high in lycopene (thought to be the depression-fighting component), was associated with less depression.
Another meta-analysis of 12 studies with 33,000 participants found the same thing. A third study of 7,000 adults found that higher blood levels of lycopene were the least likely to be depressed. Tomato haters were the most likely to suffer from depression.
All very cool, but let's dig deeper.
One randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on men found that 25 mg of daily supplemental lycopene for 12 weeks improved depression, anxiety, and stress. Plus, the lycopene supplement takers had more ejaculate volume.
Lycopene increases happiness by reducing oxidative stress in the brain, normalizing serotonin and dopamine signaling. At the molecular level, lycopene enhances synaptic plasticity and upregulates the signaling pathway in the hippocampus. It also lowers excessive cortisol levels.
How to Use This Info
In short, eat a lot more cooked tomatoes. Heating tomatoes makes lycopene more bioavailable. The more concentrated the tomato product, the more lycopene. So tomato paste is the best, but you need 100 grams daily. Or you can three capsules of P-Well ➔ Buy at Biotest that contains 30 mg of lycopene (5 mg more than the study).
