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| Good sources of vitamin B5 include kale, cabbage, eggs, kidneys and livers. Credit: Wasu Watcharadachaphong | Shutterstock |
Vitamin B5, also called pantothenic acid and pantothenate, is vital to living a healthy life. Like all B complex vitamins, B5 helps the body convert food into energy. B5 is naturally found in many food sources. "Pantothenic," in fact, means "from everywhere," because the vitamin is available in so many food sources.
Benefits
Vitamin B5 provides a multitude of benefits to the human body. It is found in living cells as a coenzyme A (CoA), which is vital to numerous chemical reactions, according to a study published in the journal Vitamins and Hormones.
"Pantothenic acid is typically used in combination with other B vitamins in the form of a vitamin B complex formulation," said Dr. Sherry Ross, OB/GYN and Women's Health Expert at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. The other vitamins in the vitamin B complex are vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), and folic acid, she added.
B vitamins turn carbohydrates into glucose, which is the fuel that produces energy. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, B vitamins also help the body use fat and protein and are also important for maintaining a healthy nervous system, eyes, skin, hair and liver.
Specifically, B5 helps to:
- Create red blood cells
- Create stress-related and sex hormones
- Maintain a healthy digestive tract
- Process other vitamins, particularly B2 (riboflavin)
- Synthesize cholesterol
Vitamin B5, taken as a supplement, has also been found to help with lowering cholesterol. In a 2011 study published in the journal Nutrition Research, researchers at the Princeton Longevity Center in New Jersey found that supplements of pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5, reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in subjects with low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk.
Another study at Asahikawa Medical College in Japan found that pantethine might be beneficial in the prevention of diabetic angiopathy. A study by the National Academy of Sciences of Grodno, Belarus also found that pantethine can be useful in the treatment of diabetes.
"Pantothenic acid is used in treating and preventing pantothenic acid deficiency and skin reactions from radiation therapy," Ross said. "Other health benefits of pantothenic acid that have been suggested but not scientifically proven include improve symptoms related to ADHD, arthritis, athletic performance, skin problems, alcoholism, allergies, hair loss, asthma, heart problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, lung disorders, nerve damage, colitis, eye infections, convulsions, kidney disorders, dandruff, depression, diabetic problems, immune function, headaches, hyperactivity, low blood pressure, insomnia, irritability, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and muscle cramps."
Sources
Some good sources of pantothenic acid include mushrooms, legumes and lentils, avocados, milk, eggs, cabbage, organ meats such as liver and kidneys, white and sweet potatoes, whole-grain cereals and yeast, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. In addition to those sources, the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University also lists egg yolks, broccoli, fish, shellfish, chicken and yogurt.
The University of Maryland Medical Center says the best sources of vitamin B5 include brewer's yeast, corn, cauliflower, kale, tomatoes, split peas, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower seeds, lobster and salmon.
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