Exercise supplement creatine could be grown in edible plants
The compound creatine, a popular exercise supplement that only occurs naturally in animal products, could one day be produced in edible plants
By Carissa Wong
2 October 2024
Some people take creatine as a supplement to boost exercise performance
Casimiro / Alamy
Tobacco plants have been engineered to contain creatine, a compound that is mainly stored in our muscles as a source of energy and is a popular exercise supplement. Researchers are now testing the approach in tomatoes.
Read more
Which dietary supplements actually work and which should you take
Animal products are the only natural source of creatine, but it is also made artificially for supplements that claim to improve athletic performance and muscle mass. Pengxiang Fan and his colleagues at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, wanted to explore whether plants could be engineered to contain creatine, which would be particularly beneficial for vegans who don’t want to take such supplements.
Advertisement
The researchers first made DNA that codes for two enzymes that turn amino acids into creatine. They then inserted this DNA into Agrobacterium bacteria, which delivered it into the leaves of three tobacco plants .
Researchers have modified tobacco plants to produce creatine, and they hope to do the same with edible plants Sean Gallup/Getty Images
After about three days, the leaves went from containing 0 micrograms of creatine to 2.3 micrograms of creatine per gram of leaf, on average.
