Noomato, a cognitive nootropic

Noomato is a nootropic extract from a special non-GM cultivar of the common tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum)​. It improves cognitive function in stressful conditions.

Solanum lycopersicum​ is the scientific name of a very popular juicy and nutritious fruit, commonly eaten as a vegetable and consumed worldwide: tomato.The vegetable is native to Central America and was cultivated by the Aztecs centuries before the Spanish explorers introduced it to rest of the world. Botanically, tomato belongs to Solanaceae​ or nightshade family, which also includes chili peppers, potato, eggplant.

It is a rich source of diverse bioactive nutrients like folate, vitamin C, and potassium, to name but a few. It is also rich in carotenoids, a source of antioxidant activity. Tomatoes also contain several other components that are beneficial to health, including vitamin A and vitamin E, trace elements, flavonoids, phytosterols, and several water-soluble vitamins.A tomato is a nutrient-dense superfood that offers benefits to a range of bodily systems. Its nutritional content supports healthful skin, weight loss, heart health and cognition.

Noomato is a nootropic ingredient extracted by a special non-GM cultivar of tomato, a common plant of known safety.  Noomato is a brand of Naturalea, a Swiss company with the mission to bring science to the market, with application in nutraceutical, veterinary and cosmetics industries. To achieve its mission, the company is continuously investing in high-tech start-up companies and develops its own products and solutions. The company believes in and develops products which are backed by valid scientific data: to achieve proven data, it has established a cooperation network with leading universities and prestigious development centers, like for instance the Nottingham University which was involved in the development of Noomato.

Tomato fruit has long been recognized as a source of beneficial dietary metabolites. Several studies conducted using tomato fruit extract as a component ingredient have shown enhancing effects in human trials.

Noomato is a pure fruit extract that has proved to be linked to cognitive enhancement in laboratory in vitro​ and clinical trials.According to several studies, consumption of Noomato tomato extract containing a bioavailable and dietary source of a key glycolipid is beneficial to enhancing and maintaining healthy cognitive function.

Specific short-term benefits for applications such as sport likely include clarity of thought and cognitive performance under heightened levels of anxiety or stress. Benefits for healthy cognitive aging, mild cognitive impairment and the maintenance of the central nervous system are also hypothesized due to the mechanism of action. 

The hypothesis for the benefits of this molecule for healthy and or improved human cognitive function e.g. clarity of thought, is based on a combinational approach to correcting or moderating the synthesis of  the proteins that promote synaptic connections. The mechanism of action is supported by the base cognitive promoting benefits of Noomato.

The fear response has evolved to be a protective reaction to a life-threatening situation. Stress inducing situations or extreme physical activity are linked to survival instincts such as predator avoidance. The up-regulation of a specific neurotransmission molecule is the key hypothesis behind Noomato extract: finding the correct botanical extract to improve the cognitive ability is the results of years of our specific R&D programs.

Mechanism of action​

Naturalea collaborated with a research team at Nottingham University to identify neuroligin, the protein involved in the fear/anxiety response. The stable up-regulation of neuroligin is linked to the maintenance survival at the expense of more abstract cognitive processing. Stressful situations or extreme physical activity reduce some of the abstract cognitive abilities.

Noomato selectively modulates the activity of a component of the protein synthesis pathway (eukaryotic initiation factor-4AI (eIF4A), resulting in the correct manufacture of proteins. Enhanced levels of protein synthesis activity due to eIF4A have been linked to several negative conditions including the impairment of cognitive performance; while dampening eI4FA activity has been proposed to be of substantial benefits to both health and healthy aging.

Clinical trials​

A full double blind, randomized control clinical trial was completed with the aim to examine the effects of Noomato on cognitive function at rest and during exercise induced fatigue in recreational team-sport athletes. The trial involved 17 participants who were randomly assigned to either a placebo or intervention group (tomato extract). Participants ingested a 3g dosage of either the supplement or the placebo, with water 60 minutes prior to the beginning of the test. The dosage was in line with EFSA daily dosage recommendations.

Results​

Subjects showed a marked improved in abstract cognitive abilities (better visual detection, better detection speed, precision) when treated with Noomato.The detection scores (Figure 1) suggest that the extract could be beneficial both before and towards the end of the exercise trial.

Figure 1 displays detection score between tomato extract and placebo groups at baseline, half time and full-time throughout a 80-minute rugby match game play simulation protocol​

Seventy-eight percent of the scores indicated improved detection levelsprior to the trial, whilst 75% of the scores demonstrated improvements at the end of the trial.

Although improvements were negligible at half time, these data do suggest that Noomato is

having a positive impact on detection at the start and end of the exercise trial. Interestingly,

the improved pre-exercise scores suggest that this enhancement may be independent of the

fatigue that was induced by the trial.

Figure 2 detection scores between tomato extract and placebo groups at baseline, half-time and full-time throughout an 80-minute rugby match simulation protocol​

Similar improvements were observed in the identification scores (Figure 2) before the trial, with 75% of the scores recording improvements in identification prior to the trial. Fifty-six percent of the scores showed higher identification levels at half time, with 63% higher than the placebo atfull time. The trends are positive and suggest that the extract was having a positive impact on cognitive performance.

After applying a full statistical analysis, the data have been shown to have both statistical significance (see below Figure 3A, 3B) and a striking positive trend.

Furthermore, in both the identification and detection tests, placebo scores demonstrated a trend to worsen between half time and full time, whilst for the Noomato group scores either plateaued (identification) or improved (detection), suggesting that the Noomato may be helping to enhance cognitive function as fatigue increased.

Conclusion​

Many of the observed changes and trends suggest that there may well be cognitive benefits from Noomato consumption. Noomato may improve cognitive function before exercise, and hence be independent of fatigue, and these improvements are subsequently sustained under conditions of fatigue. The trend in most of the tested subjects is particularly encouraging and suggests that Noomato may have a positive impact on the cognitive performance of many of the subjects involved in the study. It was particularly encouraging to note that Noomato scores for both identification and detection were either sustained or enhanced between half time and full time, whereas placebo score deteriorated during the corresponding period.

Applications​

Noomato can find application in a variety of markets:

• Sports professional athletes and amateurs. Athletes suffer from “brain fog” conditions

Noomato might have a positive impact in clarity of mind, precision of movement and reduction

in mental stress

• E-sports and E-games. E–sports are increasing in popularity and widely

accepted as a new form of sport. E-sports athletes suffer from the same cognitive issues of all

professional sportsmen and women. Noomato can help keeping the mind clear, extending precision of thought in the long hours needed to complete a tournament.

• Personnel serving either as civilians (e.g. FD, A&E) or as military

often work for many hours under the most stressful conditions and need maximum clarity

of thought and perfect mind-motion coordination at the end of their shift.

• Students and seniors are mostly interested in safe and “non-pharma”solutions that could help them keeping their mind precise and focused.

Patent protection​

This innovative botanical product, Noomato, is obtained from the extraction of a common

vegetable, tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L.​The extract is allowed for food or dietary preparations with the possible claim of antioxidant. There are no limits to its use.

A world patent has been applied to protect the invention and the applications of Noomato.

Naturalea SA, Switzerland, is the exclusive right holder of the patent.

Naturalea develops and controls all the supply chain, from the special seeds to thecultivation, extraction and lyophilization process that yields the finished powder product.

Companies in North America can now source Naturalea’s Noomato from Faravelli Inc, the US subsidiary of Faravelli. Faravelli began operating in its native Italy in 1926, before going on to establish a presence in North America in 2014