Pantothenic acid

Pantothenic acid is also known as vitamin B5. This nutrient is important for several bodily functions which start from growth to reproduction. It is an important aid in the continual breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food, in the process, converting them to compounds which the body can use. This vitamin also makes a number of enzymes and aids in maintaining accurate communication between the central nervous system and the brain. It is rare to suffer from deficiency in pantothenic acid because there are a huge number of foods that are excellent sources of vitamin B5. As a matter of fact, the term pantothenic is derived from the Greek word ‘pantos’ which means ‘everywhere’.

Pantothenic acid has two forms: calcium pantothenate and pantethine. Calcium pantothenate is used for healing various ailments which include stress and heartburn. Pantethine, on the other hand, is good for reducing blood cholesterol levels in people who do not respond to other natural treatments. A number of Vitamin B complex supplements contain pantothenic acid too.

Health Benefits

There are a number of benefits that one can derive from pantothenic acid. These include:

§ Stress management due to psychological strain, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, terminating smoking and alcohol use. The pantothenic acid aids the adrenal glands produce the stress hormones during psychological and physical strain. It is always taken with vitamin B complex supplement. Pantothenic acid also helps in the production of the brain serotonin. It was found out that those with migraine have abnormally low levels pf serotonin.
§ It is also counters heartburn especially if combined with two B vitamins- choline and thiamine.
§ It lowers some allergy symptoms such as nasal congestion and asthmatic reactions that are caused by seasonal allergies.
§ It can control cholesterol levels because of the chemical pantethine which comes from pantothenic acid. Pantethine lowers the amount of lipids in the blood. The HDL or good cholesterol level may rise.

Pantothenic Acid and Multivitamins

Pantothenic acid comes in various forms which include: tablet, softgel, liquid and capsule. There is no recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for pantothenic acid. But the experts believe that getting 4 to 7 mg a day is necessary to continue normal body processes. Fortunately, the amount of pantothenic acid found in multivitamin or vitamin B-complex is more than enough to cover the need for this vitamin. As a matter of fact, pantothenic acid deficiency is almost non-existent.

If you happened to take too much pantothenic acid (10 grams or 10,000 mg) in a day can result in diarrhea. Aside from diarrhea there are no other adverse reactions noted.

One thing to keep in mind in buying multivitamin is that a number of B-complex products can contain pantothenic acid so check the label to know the dosage. Take this supplement with meals. In taking the vitamin supplement it is good to take not of the following tips:

- Those suffering from psychological or physical stress, take daily vitamin B complex that has 100 mg of pantothenic acid.
- Chronic heartburn, take 1,000 mg of pantothenic acid twice daily together with 500 mg of thiamin once daily and 500 mg of choline three times a day. If this fails to improve heartburn after a month, then stop it.
- In treating allergies, take 500 mg of pantothenic acid three times a day.
- High cholesterol requires 300 mg of pantethine three times a day. Do not treat high cholesterol with pantothenic acid products. You cannot use it instead of pantethine.