Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid, is an essential nutrient used in your body for purposes that include cholesterol and hormone synthesis, as well as the processing of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. You can find vitamin B5 in a variety of foods, as well as in stand-alone supplements and B-complex vitamins.
Food Sources
The University of Maryland Medical Center lists readily available food sources of vitamin B5, including broccoli, corn, brewer's yeast, egg yolks, lentils, legumes, beef livers and kidneys, duck, turkey, chicken, soybeans, wheat and whole-grain cereals and breads. In many cases, freezing, canning and refining processes substantially reduce the vitamin content of these foods. To gain the highest possible B5 intake from dietary sources, eat plenty of unprocessed grains and fresh vegetables and meats.
Supplement Forms
Vitamin B5 is available in supplements in a form called D-pantothenic acid, or dextrorotatory pantothenic acid, according to the National Library of Medicine's Medline Plus. You can also buy synthetic dexpanthenol, which your body converts to pantothenic acid, as well as another synthetic product called calcium pantothenate. Many products that contain some of the other forms of B vitamins also contain vitamin B5, as do some products that contain the full B complex. Various vitamin B5 products come in forms that include capsules, tablets and softgels.
Recommended Intake
For infants ages 6 months or less, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends a daily intake for vitamin B5 of 1.7mg. Infants ages 6 months to 1 year have a recommended daily intake of 1.8mg. If you have a child between the ages of 1 and 3, recommended daily intake of vitamin B5 is 2mg. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 have a recommended daily intake of 3mg. Children between the ages of 9 and 13 have a daily recommended intake of 4mg, while adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 have a daily recommended intake of 5mg. If you are 19 or older, you also have a recommended intake of 5mg. Pregnant women have a recommended daily intake of 6mg, while nursing women have a recommended intake of 7mg.
Interactions and Effects
High doses of vitamin B5 may trigger diarrhea or increase your risks for bleeding, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. If you are pregnant or nursing, do not increase your vitamin B5 intake without your doctor's explicit advice. Vitamin B5 and all other B vitamins disrupt the activities of the antibiotic tetracycline, and you should take tetracycline and B5 at different times of day. Vitamin B5 may also increase the side effects of Alzheimer's disease medications called cholinesterase inhibitors.
Considerations
Most people get plenty of vitamin B5 five in their diets, Medline Plus says, and deficiencies typically only occur in individuals with advanced cases of malnutrition. In some cases, you may receive higher than normal doses of the vitamin for the treatment of conditions such as arthritis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and high cholesterol, as well as for the healing of wounds and burns. However, there is no clear benefit from these therapeutic applications.
Member Comments