While the start of a new year can signal new adventures and opportunities, it also often reminds us of the relentless march of time and the continual ageing process that happens to us all. Anti-ageing creams and potions are big business, but researchers from Korea have published new research suggesting extracts present in vegetables may boost skin health by promoting collagen production and helping skin cells renew and recover.

The team conducted lab-based tests using vegetable peptones on human skin cells, where the cells were exposed to the plant-derived extracts for five hours. The results showed that as the concentration of the peptones increased, the promotion of collagen production and skin cell repair also increased. Further investigations also showed that when cells were damaged by UV radiation, vegetable peptones were able to accelerate the recovery process. Further research is planned, but in the meantime, increasing levels of vegetables in your daily diet may be the perfect start to any anti-ageing regime.