Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

The health benefits of vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid, include the alleviation of conditions like asthma, hair loss, allergies, stress and anxiety, respiratory disorders, and heart problems. It also helps boost immunity, reduce osteoarthritis and signs of aging, increase resistance to various types of infections, stimulates physical growth, and manage skin disorders.

Everybody knows that vitamins are some of the most important nutrients in your daily diet.  Even then, however, it seems that people really don’t pay attention to how they get their vitamins, which causes many people to suffer from deficiencies.

Of all the B vitamins, vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, is one of the most commonly forgotten. With that said, it is also one of the most important vitamins in the group. To put it simply, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) is essential for creating new blood cells and converting food into energy.

All B vitamins are helpful in converting food into energy; they’re also beneficial for digestion, a healthy liver, and nervous system, producing red blood cells, improving vision, growing healthy skin and hair, and making hormones related to stress and sex within the adrenal glands.

Vitamin B5 is essential for a healthy metabolism as well as healthy skin. It is also used to synthesize coenzyme A (CoA), which helps many processes within the body (such as breaking down fatty acids). Deficiencies of this vitamin are very rare but the condition is also very serious if it exists.

Without enough vitamin B5, you may experience symptoms such as numbness, burning feelings, headaches, insomnia, or fatigue. Often, a deficiency of vitamin B5 is hard to identify due to how widespread its use is throughout the body.

Based on recommendations from the United States Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine, adult men and women should consume about 5 milligrams of vitamin B5 every day. Pregnant women should intake 6 milligrams, and women who are breastfeeding should intake 7 milligrams.

Recommended intake levels for children start at 1.7 milligrams until 6 months, 1.8 milligrams until 12 months, 2 milligrams until 3 years, 3 milligrams until 8 years, 4 milligrams until 13 years, and 5 milligrams after 14 years and into adulthood.