Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
Summary
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is an essential B vitamin found in almost all foods, and deficiency is rare. Adults need about 5 mg/day, and no upper limit is set. High-dose trials are few: a pantothenic acid-based supplement reduced acne lesions in one 12-week trial (grade D), while 6 g/day did not raise muscle coenzyme A or endurance performance in cyclists.
Key facts
- Needed to make coenzyme A and acyl carrier protein, central to fatty-acid synthesis and breakdown[1]
- Adequate Intake 5 mg/day (6 mg in pregnancy, 7 mg breastfeeding); typical US diets supply about 6 mg[1]
- None set: no toxicity reported at high intakes, though about 10 g/day can cause mild diarrhoea[1]
- Rare except in severe malnutrition; seen only with near-zero diets or an antagonist drug[1]
- Usually calcium pantothenate or pantethine; no studies have compared their bioavailability[1]
- 4 graded human outcomes on this page
- October 13, 2026
How it works
EstablishedPantothenic acid is converted to coenzyme A, which carries acetyl and acyl groups in energy metabolism and fatty-acid synthesis. This role is established; whether extra pantothenic acid beyond dietary needs raises tissue coenzyme A is doubtful, since 6 g/day for 16 weeks did not change muscle coenzyme A.[1][3]
What the human research says
Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form column shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.
At a glance: strongest evidence per outcome
| Outcome | Grade | Effect | Strongest evidence | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin | Grade D | No effect | RCT · n = 49 · 1995 | 1 row |
| Acne | Grade D | Improved | RCT · n = 41 · 2014 | 1 row |
| Performance | Grade D | No effect | Open-label · n = 14 · 2021 | 2 rows |
Every graded row
| Outcome | Effect | Grade | Best evidence | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin wound repair after surgery (with vitamin C) | No effect | Grade D | RCT · n = 49 · 1995 Patients undergoing serial excision of tattoos Form: Pantothenic acid plus ascorbic acid · Dose: 0.2 g/day pantothenic acid plus 1.0 g/day vitamin C · Duration: 21 days No major improvement in the wound-repair process was documented; skin and scar trace-element levels shifted with supplementation. | 7781653 (opens PubMed)Source [5] |
| Facial acne lesion count | Improved | Grade D | RCT · n = 41 · 2014 Adults with mild to moderate facial acne Form: Pantothenic acid-based dietary supplement (Pantothen tablets) · Dose: 2.2 g/day of pantothenic acid (two tablets twice daily) · Duration: 12 weeks Total and inflammatory lesion counts fell more than with placebo (P = 0.0197 for total lesions), and quality-of-life (DLQI) scores were better. Safe and well tolerated. | 24831048 (opens PubMed)Source [2] |
| Muscle coenzyme A and cycling performance | No effect | Grade D | Open-label trial · n = 14 · 2021 Trained male cyclists Form: Pantothenic acid · Dose: 6 g/day · Duration: 16 weeks Muscle coenzyme A and acetyl-CoA content and time-to-exhaustion performance did not change. | 33075232 (opens PubMed)Source [3] |
| Muscle coenzyme A, fuel use and exercise performance | No effect | Grade D | Crossover RCT · n = 8 · 2012 Healthy young men Form: D-pantothenic acid plus L-cysteine · Dose: 1.5 g/day pantothenic acid plus 1.5 g/day cysteine · Duration: 1 week Resting muscle coenzyme A, fuel selection during cycling and a 15-minute performance test did not differ from the glucose-polymer control. | 22052867 (opens PubMed)Source [4] |
Forms
| Form | Elemental % | Absorption (human data) | GI tolerance | Studied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium pantothenate | 92%[7][8] | No studies have compared bioavailability with other forms; about half of food pantothenic acid (40–61%) is absorbed.[1] | Mild diarrhoea and stomach upset reported at about 10 g/day.[1] | Most common supplement form |
| Pantethine | Varies[1] | Taken up by intestinal cells and converted to pantothenic acid; no head-to-head bioavailability studies.[1] | See the pantethine page.[1] | Blood lipids (600–1,200 mg/day; see its own page) |
Compound weight → elemental active
500 mg calcium pantothenate ≈ 460 mg elemental active
Studied doses, daily needs and limits
Doses studied in human trials ranged from 0.2 g/day (with vitamin C) for 3 weeks to 2.2 g/day for 12 weeks and 6 g/day for 16 weeks, far above the 5 mg/day Adequate Intake.[5][2][3][1]
Intake reference: Adults 19+: Adequate Intake 5 mg/day (6 mg in pregnancy, 7 mg while breastfeeding). No UL; the Daily Value is 5 mg.[1] No UL because no toxicity has been reported at high intakes; about 10 g/day can cause mild diarrhoea and stomach upset. NIH ODS fact sheet (updated May 1, 2026).
Recommended intake and upper limit by age and sex
| Age | Male | Female | Pregnancy | Lactation | Upper limit (UL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months (AI) | 1.7 mg | 1.7 mg | — | — | Not set |
| 7–12 months (AI) | 1.8 mg | 1.8 mg | — | — | Not set |
| 1–3 years (AI) | 2 mg | 2 mg | — | — | Not set |
| 4–8 years (AI) | 3 mg | 3 mg | — | — | Not set |
| 9–13 years (AI) | 4 mg | 4 mg | — | — | Not set |
| 14–18 years (AI) | 5 mg | 5 mg | 6 mg | 7 mg | Not set |
| 19+ years (AI) | 5 mg | 5 mg | 6 mg | 7 mg | Not set |
Interactions
Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.
None found in our sources.
Who should be careful
- Very high doses
- About 10 g/day can cause mild diarrhoea and stomach upset.[1]
- Combination with biotin
- A case report describes a 76-year-old woman who developed a life-threatening eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion after two months of vitamins B5 and H (biotin); she recovered after stopping them.[6]
- Medicines
- NIH ODS lists no clinically relevant interactions between pantothenic acid and medications.[1]
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.
Food sources
| Food | Serving | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Beef liver, boiled | 3 ounces | 8.3 mg[1] |
| Shiitake mushrooms, cooked | ½ cup | 2.6 mg[1] |
| Sunflower seeds | ¼ cup | 2.4 mg[1] |
| Chicken breast, roasted | 3 ounces | 1.3 mg[1] |
| Tuna, bluefin, cooked | 3 ounces | 1.2 mg[1] |
| Avocado, raw | ½ fruit | 1 mg[1] |
| Milk, 2% | 1 cup | 0.9 mg[1] |
- Beef liver, boiled8.3 mg
- Shiitake mushrooms, cooked2.6 mg
- Sunflower seeds2.4 mg
- Chicken breast, roasted1.3 mg
- Tuna, bluefin, cooked1.2 mg
- Avocado, raw1 mg
- Milk, 2%0.9 mg
How to read the label
- Calcium pantothenate is mostly vitaminAbout 92% of calcium pantothenate's weight is pantothenic acid, so label amounts are close to the vitamin content.[7][8]
- Label dose vs needSupplements range from about 10 mg in multivitamins to 1,000 mg alone, versus a 5 mg/day Adequate Intake.[1]
- Pantethine is differentLipid-lowering trials used pantethine, a pantetheine dimer; pantothenic acid itself does not appear to have the same lipid effects.[1]
Cost per studied dose, without the sales pitch
Compare any product you already have by the amount it delivers, not by capsule count or front-of-pack weight.
Cost per studied dose
Enter the price, servings and the amount per serving from your label.
Frequently asked questions
What does vitamin B5 do?
It is used to make coenzyme A and acyl carrier protein, which the body needs to build and break down fats and to run energy metabolism.[1]
How much pantothenic acid do adults need?
The Adequate Intake is 5 mg/day for adults, 6 mg in pregnancy and 7 mg while breastfeeding. Typical US diets supply about 6 mg.[1]
Does vitamin B5 help acne?
One 12-week trial in 41 adults found a supplement providing 2.2 g/day of pantothenic acid reduced lesion counts versus placebo; it has not been replicated.[2]
Does pantothenic acid lower cholesterol?
The lipid trials used pantethine, a related form. Pantothenic acid itself does not appear to have the same effect.[1]
Does vitamin B5 boost energy or exercise?
No benefit was found: 6 g/day for 16 weeks did not raise muscle coenzyme A or endurance performance in cyclists.[3]
Sources
- [1]Pantothenic Acid: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated May 1, 2026). NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2026. fact-sheet
- [2]A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a novel pantothenic Acid-based dietary supplement in subjects with mild to moderate facial acne.. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb), 2014. RCT
- [3]Chronic pantothenic acid supplementation does not affect muscle coenzyme A content or cycling performance.. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2021. open-label
- [4]Acute pantothenic acid and cysteine supplementation does not affect muscle coenzyme A content, fuel selection, or exercise performance in healthy humans.. J Appl Physiol (1985), 2012. crossover-RCT
- [5]Effect of pantothenic acid and ascorbic acid supplementation on human skin wound healing process. A double-blind, prospective and randomized trial.. Eur Surg Res, 1995. RCT
- [6]Life-threatening eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion related to vitamins B5 and H.. Ann Pharmacother, 2001. review
- [7]Calcium pantothenate (CID 443753): compound summary. PubChem, NCBI, 2026. database
- [8]Pantothenic acid (CID 6613): compound summary. PubChem, NCBI, 2026. database
What changed
- Strict second-pass self-review (no separate reviewer could be dispatched for this batch): all 5 PMIDs re-verified by NCBI esummary (titles and years match the record) and efetch checked for retraction, expression-of-concern and erratum flags (none flagged); every evidence row, key fact, form, dose, label line, FAQ and insight re-read against its abstract, and against PMC full text where the dose or count lives. Fixes: two claim-linter wording fixes (wound repair; cyclists). Page set indexable.
- First draft. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title and year from the record) and abstracts read for each cited row. Adequate Intakes, food values, supplement ranges and safety statements from the NIH ODS fact sheet (updated May 1, 2026), read directly. Acne-trial dose from the PMC full text (PMC4065280); formula weights from PubChem.