Vitamin B5 is also known as pantothenic acid. Pantothen comes from Greek and means everywhere. We will show you what pantothenic acid is and what effect the vitamin has in your body.
What is Vitamin B5?
Like vitamins B6 and B12, vitamin B5 belongs to the group of B vitamins. The B vitamins, in turn, belong to the water-soluble party among vitamins. This means they can be dissolved with water and, unlike vitamin D, do not require fat for bodily absorption.
Vitamin B5 must be consumed daily with food, as there are no significant bodily stores for this vitamin. Conversely, this means that we use and need vitamin B5 daily.
What are the functions of Vitamin B5?
The effects of pantothenic acid in the body are extremely diverse. Have you perhaps already heard of vitamin B5 as our concentration vitamin?
This reference arises because vitamin B5 influences, among other things, our mental performance.
Pantothenic acid is generally important for the following metabolic pathways:
Vitamin B5 in energy and fatty acid metabolism
With the help of vitamin B5, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins can be broken down. Vitamin B5 supports the energetic utilization of almost all food components that you find on your plate daily, in addition to dietary fiber. Thus, through vitamin B5, the body can obtain energy from food.
Vitamin B5 is essential for the synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA)
You can imagine coenzyme A as a very important helper in your body.
This little helper is essential for countless enzymatic reactions and is important for the entire energy and fat metabolism, among other things. For example, it is involved in the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy currency of our body.
In short: The elementary importance of this function is obvious. Without vitamin B5 and CoA, energy production from food is not possible without problems.
Vitamin B5: Producer of neurotransmitters
Pantothenic acid is also necessary for the production of neurotransmitters, hormones, and bile acids. For example, vitamin B5 is involved in the production of the happiness hormone serotonin or provitamin D.
The body therefore not only needs pantothenic acid to break down substances such as fats, but also to produce new substances.
Vitamin B5 for cell protection
Vitamin B5 protects cells from oxidative stress, to which they are exposed daily, for example, by exhaust fumes.
Vitamin B5, skin, and hair
One also repeatedly reads about the wound-healing function of vitamin B5, sometimes also referred to as a skin vitamin. However, the exact way and mechanisms by which pantothenic acid serves wound healing, skin, and hair are still unclear. Research is currently being conducted in this area.
Vitamin B5 and our performance
Due to its role in energy and fatty acid metabolism, vitamin B5 contributes to maintaining normal performance. The concentration of vitamin B5 in the brain is typically 50 times higher than in the blood: In particular, our mental performance is linked to a high concentration of vitamin B5.
Especially in the mitochondria, vitamin B5 ensures energy production. You can imagine mitochondria as the small powerhouses of your body. Here, vitamin B5 plays an important role and acts indirectly as a driving force via the already mentioned coenzyme A.
Vitamin B5 requirement
According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE), the estimated daily requirement for vitamin B5 is 4-6 mg per day. From the age of 13, it is approximately 6 mg. It is important to emphasize here that this is only an estimated value. The exact individual physical requirement cannot yet be determined with certainty.
As you have read, vitamin B5 is essential for our energy level and our associated well-being. Without enough energy, we feel tired, sluggish, and drag ourselves through the day.
But now for the good news: We supply our body with this vitamin through all common foods! And this applies to both animal and plant-based foods.
Where is vitamin B5 found?
Since vitamin B5 is found almost everywhere, people who live vegan or vegetarian generally do not have to worry about their adequate supply.
Specifically, the vitamin B5 content in foods is relatively low. However, since pantothenic acid is found in all common foods, the amounts in the body add up sufficiently.
Like many other vitamins, vitamin B5 is sensitive to heat. To minimize losses during preparation, we recommend gentle heating and cooking.
For example, using a steam cooker is suitable for conjuring up delicious dishes rich in vitamin B5.
Vitamin B5 deficiency
Want to hear more good news? Here it is: Since pantothenic acid is found in almost all foods, a deficiency in vitamin B5 is rare. In a healthy normal case, an adequate supply of vitamin B5 is therefore ensured.
However, individuals who are artificially fed, live with chronic bowel inflammation, or are malnourished or undernourished may be affected by a deficiency. The latter can be the case if, for example, a strict calorie-restricted diet is followed.
This is because the body needs vitamin B5 daily, cannot fall back on any stores for this, and too little is absorbed daily. As a result, the vitamin B5 level in the body drops.
If an undersupply occurs in the mentioned cases, it usually affects not only vitamin B5 alone but also other vitamins equally.
Signs of a too low concentration of vitamin B5 in the bloodstream can be:
- Lack of drive
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Weak immune system
As is often the case with vitamin deficiencies, these signs are very non-specific and not easy to classify. If symptoms are persistent and severe, it is advisable to visit a doctor to clarify the exact causes. Self-treatment is not recommended here.
Conclusion on Vitamin B5
What is the most important thing to remember about vitamin B5? Here's everything for you at a glance:
- Vitamin B5 acts in the body's energy and fatty acid balance, in the synthesis of, for example, brain neurotransmitters, or in cell protection.
- Vitamin B5 ensures that we can convert the ingested food in the body into usable energy.
- The pantothenic acid, literally found everywhere, is truly contained in all common foods: regardless of whether it's meat, fish, dairy products, vegetables, grains, or fruit.
- Even people who live vegetarian or vegan can easily meet their needs naturally.
- A deficiency is very rare because we absorb vitamin B5 with almost all foods. The estimated daily requirement of approx. 6 mg can be well met in a healthy normal case.
Sources
- Biesalski, H. K.; Grimm, P. & Nowitzki-Grimm, S. (2011). Taschenatlas Ernährung (6th edition). Thieme.
- Horn, F. (2009). Biochemie des Menschen. Das Lehrbuch für das Medizinstudium (4th edition). Thieme.
- Ebermann, R.; Elmadfa I. (2011). Lehrbuch Lebensmittelchemie und Ernährung (2nd edition). Springer-Verlag.
All our articles are written by nutritionists and checked for content quality by specialist experts.
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