Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)

Vitamin B5, also called pantothenic acid, is a water-soluble B vitamin. The name comes from the Greek „pantothen“ – „from everywhere“ – because it occurs in almost all foods, especially offal, eggs, wholegrains, pulses and mushrooms. Gut bacteria also produce small amounts. In the body it is mostly bound as coenzyme A; it is hardly stored, so the supply depends on ongoing intake and absorption in the small intestine. Vitamin B5 is measured in blood, in the test catalogue together with biotin, vitamin A and vitamin B3.

What vitamin B5 does in the body

From pantothenic acid the body builds coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl carrier protein. Coenzyme A is a central hub of metabolism: as acetyl-CoA it carries fragments from sugar, fat and protein into the citric acid cycle of the mitochondria, where energy is obtained from them. It is needed for breaking down fatty acids as well as for building them up. Acetyl-CoA is also the starting point for cholesterol and thus for steroid hormones such as cortisol and sex hormones, and for the nerve messenger acetylcholine. Succinyl-CoA is needed to form the haem component of the red blood pigment. Vitamin B5 is therefore involved in energy production, hormone formation, nerve function and blood formation.

Low vitamin B5 – what happens in the body?

Because pantothenic acid is so widespread, a marked deficiency is rare. It occurs with a very one-sided or severely restricted diet, high alcohol consumption and impaired absorption in the gut, usually together with a lack of other B vitamins. When vitamin B5 is lacking, less coenzyme A is formed: the cells obtain less energy from sugar and fat, and the formation of acetylcholine and steroid hormones decreases. In experiments with a deliberately low-pantothenic-acid diet, tiredness, irritability, sleep problems, digestive complaints and tingling and numbness in the hands and feet were observed. In severely malnourished people, burning of the feet („burning feet syndrome“) has been described and linked to vitamin B5 deficiency.

High vitamin B5 – what happens in the body?

As a water-soluble vitamin, excess pantothenic acid is excreted via the kidneys in urine. Food alone therefore hardly ever produces high blood levels; raised values usually go back to vitamin preparations, B complex products or infusions in the period before the blood sample. No harmful effects from pantothenic acid in food are known. With very large amounts from preparations, mainly digestive complaints such as diarrhoea have been described. A high value thus mainly shows a generous intake over the past days to weeks and is considered together with the other B vitamins, which are often taken in together.

The interpretation is given in your report.