Vitamin B5 – Pantothenic Acid

Vitamin B5 — also called pantothenic acid — takes its name from the Greek word “pantothen,” meaning “from everywhere.” The name fits: vitamin B5 is found in some amount in almost every food that contains cells, making it one of the most widely distributed vitamins. First identified by the American biochemist Roger J. Williams in 1933, vitamin B5 is a water-soluble B vitamin whose main role is as a building block of coenzyme A (CoA) — one of the most central molecules in biochemistry. Through acetyl-CoA, CoA is where carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism converge before entering the citric acid (TCA) cycle, and it’s the starting point for making fatty acids, cholesterol, steroid hormones, and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

The range of processes that depend on pantothenic acid, through CoA, is wider than for almost any other single nutrient.

Vitamin B5 – Key Mechanisms

Coenzyme A (CoA) — the metabolic hub: vitamin B5 forms the core of CoA, including the flexible “arm” (phosphopantetheine) that carries acyl groups — such as acetyl groups — between enzymes. Its most important form is acetyl-CoA, which sits at the junction of all three macronutrient pathways:

• Glucose (from carbohydrates) is broken down to pyruvate, which is then converted to acetyl-CoA by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
• Fatty acids are broken down through beta-oxidation, with each cycle producing acetyl-CoA
• Several amino acids are broken down through pathways that produce acetyl-CoA

These pathways feed into the TCA cycle through acetyl-CoA, so without enough vitamin B5 to make CoA, energy production from all three macronutrients would be limited at once.

Acetyl-CoA’s roles go well beyond energy production:

• Fatty acid synthesis: acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA supply the building blocks, and the growing fatty acid chain is carried on the same vitamin B5-derived phosphopantetheine arm, here attached to the fatty acid synthase enzyme
• Cholesterol synthesis: cholesterol is built from acetyl-CoA units — three of them combine to form the first precursor, HMG-CoA
• Steroid hormone synthesis: cholesterol is the raw material for all steroid hormones — cortisol, aldosterone, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and DHEA
• Acetylcholine synthesis: choline + acetyl-CoA → acetylcholine, made by the enzyme choline acetyltransferase. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter at the junction between nerves and muscles — every voluntary muscle contraction depends on it
• CoQ10 synthesis: the long tail of coenzyme Q10 is built through the same acetyl-CoA-based pathway as cholesterol, linking vitamin B5 indirectly to the mitochondrial electron transport chain

Panthenol for skin and hair: panthenol, the provitamin form of B5, is widely used in skincare and haircare. On the skin, it’s absorbed and converted to pantothenic acid, and topical dexpanthenol has good evidence for supporting the skin barrier and healing of minor wounds and irritation. In hair — which is non-living keratin — panthenol works as a moisturizer: it attracts and holds water, which can make hair more flexible and less prone to breakage and add shine. That’s why it appears in so many conditioners and skin creams.

Vitamin B5 – AI (Adequate Intake)

There isn’t enough evidence to set an RDA for vitamin B5, so Adequate Intake (AI) values are used instead.

Source: US National Academies, via the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. The daily value used on food labels is 5mg.

Vitamin B5 – ODA (Optimal Daily Allowance)

Meet the AI — 5mg a day for adults (6–7mg during pregnancy and breastfeeding) — which a varied diet easily provides. There’s no evidence that higher intakes improve health or energy for most people, though they’re harmless, since no upper limit has been found. Higher-dose uses, such as pantethine for blood lipids, are separate, therapeutic uses covered below.

Vitamin B5 is Found In (per 100g)

* Value from USDA’s SR Legacy data, where the Foundation Foods entry doesn’t include it.

True to its name, pantothenic acid is present in nearly every whole food, with organ meats and mushrooms among the richest sources. Processing reduces it — refined grains, and to a lesser extent canned and frozen foods, contain less vitamin B5 than fresh or minimally processed foods.

A note on sunflower seeds: you’ll often see them listed at around 7mg per 100g, based on older USDA figures. USDA’s newer analysis found far less — under 1mg per 100g for dry roasted seeds — so they’re a modest source rather than a top one.

Vitamin B5 Helps With

• Energy production from all three macronutrients, through CoA and acetyl-CoA
• Making cholesterol, the raw material for steroid hormones such as cortisol, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone
• Making and breaking down fatty acids
• Producing acetylcholine for nerve and muscle function
• Making heme, part of haemoglobin, which starts from a CoA compound (succinyl-CoA)
• Skin barrier support and healing of minor skin wounds (topical panthenol)
• Normal function of the adrenal glands, which make cortisol and other steroid hormones
• Normal nervous system and brain function, through acetylcholine
• Blood lipids — the pantethine form has modestly lowered LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in small trials

Vitamin B5 – for Athletes and Active People

Because so many processes depend on CoA, vitamin B5 is involved in almost every aspect of athletic performance — though, as with other B vitamins, getting enough is what matters, and athletes eating varied diets almost always do.

Energy metabolism: every round of fat breakdown produces acetyl-CoA and needs CoA to proceed, so endurance athletes who burn a lot of fat over long sessions rely heavily on this system. Adequate vitamin B5 keeps it running; small studies of extra pantothenic acid or pantethine haven’t found improvements in endurance performance.

Hormonal response to training: intense training is a physiological stressor, and cortisol — released in response to exercise — is made from cholesterol, which depends on CoA. Adequate vitamin B5 supports normal adrenal function, not by lowering cortisol (which is a necessary part of the training response), but by keeping the hormone-making machinery supplied. There’s no evidence that extra vitamin B5 changes cortisol, testosterone, or DHEA in healthy athletes.

Nerve and muscle function: motor nerves signal muscles through acetylcholine, which is made from acetyl-CoA — so vitamin B5 is part of the chemistry behind every rep and stride.

Since vitamin B5 is found in almost every whole food, athletes eating varied diets rarely run short. The main risk is a diet built mostly on highly processed foods, which contain less vitamin B5.

Vitamin B5 – Deficiency

Vitamin B5 deficiency is very rare, because the vitamin is in so many foods — it’s almost impossible to become deficient without severe, prolonged malnutrition. Known cases have mainly occurred in:

• Prisoners of war: during World War II, prisoners in camps in Asia on severely restricted diets developed “burning feet syndrome,” which was linked to pantothenic acid deficiency and responded to pantothenic acid in some reports — though these prisoners lacked many nutrients at once
• Severe, prolonged malnutrition: near-starvation conditions in which intake of many nutrients is very low
• Experimental studies: in the 1950s, volunteers given a pantothenic acid-free diet, sometimes with a drug that blocks the vitamin, developed fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, digestive symptoms, and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
• Long-term malabsorption from digestive disease or surgery

A related genetic disorder — PKAN: pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration is a rare inherited condition in which an enzyme that processes pantothenic acid in the brain doesn’t work properly. It causes iron to build up in part of the brain (the basal ganglia), leading to movement problems. It isn’t caused by low dietary intake, and it doesn’t respond to ordinary vitamin B5 supplements.

Burning feet syndrome: the most distinctive symptom linked with vitamin B5 deficiency is burning, tingling, and numbness in the feet, often worse at night. It was described in detail in prisoners of war and malnourished populations, and it’s associated with pantothenic acid deficiency — though burning feet can also have other causes, including other B vitamin deficiencies and diabetes.

General vitamin B5 deficiency symptoms:

• Burning and tingling in the feet (burning feet syndrome)
• Numbness and tingling in the hands
• Fatigue and low energy
• Irritability and restlessness
• Sleep problems
• Digestive problems — nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps
• Headache

Vitamin B5 – Excessive Doses

No upper limit (UL) has been set for vitamin B5, because no harmful effects have been found from food or supplements at realistic doses. It’s among the safest of the vitamins, and excess is excreted in urine.

The main side effect seen at very high doses — around 10g a day — is mild diarrhea and digestive upset, which settles when the dose is reduced. That’s far beyond normal supplement doses.

Different Types of Vitamin B5

• Pantothenic acid: the form found in food (much of it bound up in CoA and related compounds, which the gut breaks down before absorption).
• Calcium pantothenate: the most common supplement form — a stable calcium salt of pantothenic acid, found in most multivitamins and B-complexes. The default choice.
• Pantethine: a form closer to CoA in the body’s production pathway (two linked pantetheine molecules). It has its own research on blood lipids: in small trials, 600–900mg a day modestly lowered LDL cholesterol and triglycerides over several months.
• Panthenol (dexpanthenol, provitamin B5): converted to pantothenic acid in the body and the skin. Widely used in skincare (barrier support, minor wound healing, and moisture) and haircare (moisture and flexibility). The most common form in cosmetic products, and also available orally.
• Phosphopantetheine: a CoA precursor further along the production pathway, found in a few specialized supplements.

Which form for your goal:

Vitamin B5 – How to Take It

Vitamin B5 can be taken at any time of day, with or without food.

General needs: a varied diet covers the 5mg AI for most people. B-complex supplements typically contain 10–50mg — more than needed, but harmless.

Standalone pantothenic acid: standalone supplements, usually calcium pantothenate, commonly provide 250–500mg a day, and some practitioners use higher doses. These amounts are well tolerated — far below the roughly 10g a day at which digestive upset appears — but there’s little research showing they improve energy, stress resilience, or adrenal function in people who already get enough from their diet. If you choose to take one, it’s a low-risk option rather than a proven one.

Blood lipids: pantethine at 600–900mg a day, in divided doses with meals, has been used in trials, with effects appearing over two to four months. Discuss it with your doctor, especially if you take cholesterol-lowering medication.

Acne: high-dose pantothenic acid has been tried for acne, but the evidence is limited — a single small randomized trial of a pantothenic acid-based supplement (about 2.2g a day) found a modest reduction in facial blemishes over 12 weeks. Much higher doses, up to 10g a day, have been used in older uncontrolled reports, and commonly cause digestive upset.

Topical use: panthenol in skin and hair products needs no special guidance — use as directed on the product.

The body stores only small amounts of vitamin B5, but because it’s in so many foods, missing it for a day or two makes no practical difference.

Vitamin B5 – Interactions

Biotin (vitamin B7) and vitamin B5 share the same absorption transporter in the gut, so very high doses of one could, in theory, reduce absorption of the other — not a concern at normal supplement doses. Heavy alcohol use is associated with lower vitamin B5 status. Gut bacteria make some pantothenic acid, but how much this contributes to the body’s supply is unknown.

Vitamin B5 – Synergy

• Works with vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B7 in energy metabolism — the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and TCA cycle need several of these together.
• Works alongside vitamin C in the adrenal glands, which contain high concentrations of vitamin C and rely on it for making stress hormones such as noradrenaline, while vitamin B5 supports the cholesterol supply behind cortisol.
• Supports the mitochondrial energy chain alongside CoQ10 — vitamin B5 is part of the acetyl-CoA pathway that builds CoQ10’s tail.
• Supports red blood cell formation alongside vitamin B12 and folate — the heme in haemoglobin is built starting from succinyl-CoA.
• Pairs with choline to make acetylcholine — choline provides one half of the molecule, and vitamin B5 provides the acetyl group, via acetyl-CoA.

Vitamin B5 – Antagonistic Interactions

Heavily processed foods contain less vitamin B5 than whole foods, so a diet built mostly on processed food provides less than it might seem.

Very high doses of biotin (vitamin B7) may compete with vitamin B5 for absorption — relevant only at very high supplement doses.

Heavy alcohol use is associated with lower vitamin B5 status.

Food values: USDA FoodData Central — duck liver, raw (SR Legacy, FDC ID 174467); lamb liver, braised (SR Legacy, 172532); shiitake mushrooms, cooked (SR Legacy, 168437); white mushrooms, boiled (SR Legacy, 169252); lamb kidneys, braised (SR Legacy, 174355); peanuts, raw (Foundation Foods, 2515376, pantothenic acid from SR Legacy); chicken breast, braised (Foundation Foods, 331960); Atlantic salmon, farmed, cooked (SR Legacy, 175168); egg, hard-boiled (SR Legacy, 173424); sweet potato, baked (SR Legacy, 168483); sunflower seeds, dry roasted (Foundation Foods, 325524); lentils, cooked (SR Legacy, 172421); broccoli, boiled (SR Legacy, 169967). Adequate Intakes from the US National Academies, via the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. % Daily Values use the FDA’s current Daily Value of 5mg.