The brain has a high concentration of omega-3 fats and needs protection from free radical damage. Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes, could help protect the brain against the kind of cell death that occurs in the development of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s.
Studies have found that individuals with mild cognitive impairment, as well as Alzheimer’s disease, have lower levels of carotenoids like lycopene in their blood.
Did you know that cooking tomatoes increases their amount of lycopene? After 2 minutes of cooking, tomatoes have 54% more lycopene, and after 30-minutes, they had 164% more of this powerful antioxidant.
