Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
The name comes from Greek pantothen — "from everywhere" — reflecting how widespread it is in food. Pantothenic acid is the backbone of coenzyme A, essential for fatty acid synthesis, oxidation, and the citric acid cycle. Isolated deficiency is essentially unknown in normal diets.
Daily Adequate Intake
- Adults: 5 mg/day.
- Pregnancy: 6 mg/day.
- Lactation: 7 mg/day.
- No Tolerable Upper Intake Level — very high doses (10 g) can cause diarrhoea and GI upset.
The acne megadose claim
A single small 2014 double-blind RCT reported pantothenic acid 2,200 mg/day for 12 weeks reduced total facial lesion count vs placebo in mild-to-moderate acne. The claim went viral in supplement marketing, but the trial was small (n = 48), the mechanism is speculative, and no larger replication has been published. It's a possible-but-unproven adjunct at best.
Panthenol (provitamin B5)
D-panthenol is the alcohol form of pantothenic acid used in shampoos, skin creams, and eye drops. It penetrates skin and hair, humectant properties help retain moisture, and there's reasonable evidence for wound-healing acceleration and modest improvement in hair shaft appearance. Topical use is well tolerated.
Deficiency
Experimentally induced deficiency causes "burning feet syndrome" (severe paraesthesia and burning pain in feet and lower legs), fatigue, headaches, and insomnia. Real-world cases are limited to severe undernutrition and one wartime study of malnourished POWs whose symptoms responded to pantothenate.
Food sources
- Beef liver (3 oz): 8.3 mg — one serving covers 165% of the AI
- Shiitake mushrooms (½ cup cooked): 2.6 mg
- Sunflower seeds (¼ cup): 2.4 mg
- Chicken breast (3 oz): 1.3 mg
- Tuna (3 oz): 1.2 mg
- Avocado (½ fruit): 1.0 mg
- Egg (1 large): 0.7 mg
- Milk (1 cup): 0.9 mg
- Broccoli (½ cup): 0.4 mg