InsideJapan News Network

Sections of Japan's ageing population are turning to a diet rich in collagen in an effort to stay youthful, it has emerged.

Reports claim sales of collagen hot pots, known as nabe, have more than doubled since going on the market in November at the convenience store Family Mart.

Collagen-high dishes, including chicken skin, shark fin and pigs trotters, have also increased in popularity, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Professor Kuniko Takahashi, a nutritionist and author of Truth and Falsehood of Food Information, said: "Good protein contains sufficient amounts of all kinds of essential amino acids, and most animal protein falls into this category.

"Collagen is no better than average as protein."

In 2008, many slimmers embraced the banana as a way of losing weight, leading to a boom in sales of the yellow fruit.

It has also been reported that collagen may provide protection against Alzheimer's disease.