Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, helps your body turn fats and carbohydrates into energy and helps make red blood cell and sex and stress hormones, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. It's sometimes called the "anti-stress" vitamin but there's no evidence it helps the body weather stress. Vitamin B5 is available in a variety of foods. Its benefits are unproven and there can be side effects. Talk to your doctor before taking vitamin B5.
Sources
Vitamin B5 deficiency is rare because it's available in so many foods that most healthy people have no trouble getting enough, according to UMMC. The best sources include corn, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, tomatoes, avocado, sweet potatoes, eggs, beef, turkey, duck, chicken, lobster, salmon, milk, lentils, split peas, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, whole grain breads, pasta and cereals. Bear in mind that food processing strips a lot of vitamin B5 out of food so that fresh meat and vegetables and whole grains always have more vitamin B5 than their refined, canned or frozen counterparts. Vitamin B5 is also widely available in supplements.
Vitamin B5 Deficiency
This vitamin deficiency is rare and typically only occurs in cases of severe malnutrition, but it can be effectively treated with vitamin B5 supplements, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Vitamin B5 deficiency causes serious symptoms including fatigue, insomnia, depression and other mood changes, vomiting, stomach pain, burning feet and upper respiratory infections.
High Cholesterol
Vitamin B5 may help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, with few side effects, according to UMMC. It may also help lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, and increase HDL, or "good cholesterol," levels. But not all studies have shown this benefit, so more research is needed to confirm whether this works or not. Taking vitamin B5 to lower cholesterol should be done under a doctor's supervision so he can monitor your cholesterol levels.
Other Uses
There is some preliminary, but weak evidence, that vitamin B5 may help speed the healing of wounds after surgery and reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, according to UMMC. But more research is needed on both these points. Vitamin B5 is also used for a wide variety of other conditions -- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, allergies, kidney disorders, depression, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, colitis and carpal tunnel syndrome -- and for improving athletic performance, but there is not enough research evidence to judge whether there's any real benefit at all, according to MedlinePlus.
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