Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
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Requirements:
- RDA:
4 - 7 mg. per day is the estimated requirement
- Daily Optimal Intake:
Supplement Forms:
- Individual capsule or in a multivitamin capsule
- Calcium pantothenate - 92% pantothenic acid and 8%
calcium
Labs:
Food Sources:
- Beef liver 3 oz. (4.8 mg.)
- Chicken liver 3 oz. (4.6 mg.)
- Beef kidney 3 oz. (2.6 mg.)
- Turkey, dark 3 oz. (1.1 mg.)
- Brewer's yeast 1 T. (1.0 mg.)
- Peas 1/4 cup (1.0 mg.)
- Peanuts 1/4 cup (1.0 mg.)
- Chicken, dark 3 oz. (0.9 mg.)
- Egg, hard cooked 1 large (0.9 mg.)
- Rice brown. cooked 1 cup (0.9 mg.)
- Sweet corn 1 med. ear (0.8 mg.)
- Beef, lean 3 oz. (0.7 mg.)
- Potato, sweet 1 med. (0.7 mg.)
- Cashews 1/4 cup (0.6 mg.)
Deficiency:
- Rare due to wide distribution in foods
- Insomnia
- Leg cramps
- Paresthesias of hands and feet
- Easily fatigued
- GI disturbances
- Mental depression
- Upper respiratory infections
- Decreased antibody formation
Causes of Deficiency:
Adverse Effects and Toxicity:
- Diarrhea in very large doses
Drug/Nutrient Interactions:
Biochemical Functions:
- Used as an activator molecule
- Required for adrenal gland functioning
- Provides acetyl groups for the formation of acetylcholine in
transmission of nerve impulses and detoxification of certain
drugs
- Required for formation of porphyrin
- Required in energy metabolism and fatty acid synthesis -
active form of B5, coenzyme A, is involved in acetyl CoA, acyl
CoA, HMG CoA reactions
- Required for synthesis of certain steroids produced in the
adrenal glands
Clinical Indications:
Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).