Pantothenic Acid is most commonly referred to as vitamin B5. It is just one of the eight vitamins that make up the B complex. It is involved in a myriad of bodily functions and really is essential for life. It makes fats, hormones, hemoglobin, and neurotransmitters as well as other molecules that lead to proper growth and reproduction. Since it is part of the B complex vitamin, pantothenic acid helps the body utilize the other essential B vitamins such as B6, B12 and vitamin C. Pantothenic acid can be found in many foods and it is considerably rare that you will have a deficiency in this vitamin except for in the case of malnutrition which in turn will cause the body to fail and can lead to death. Signs of deficiency are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue or insomnia, numbness and tingling in the extremities, as well as water retention and intestinal problems.

Although most people do not have significant deficiencies, the addition or supplementation of pantothenic acid can bring additional benefits to the body that you may not see otherwise. It has been proven that it can help with many personality or psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. In addition it can support the nervous system when used along with the vitamin B complex. It has been used to treat skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. Another recent finding is that it can help lower levels of the LDL or bad cholesterol while raising the levels of your good cholesterol or HDL cholesterol.

You can find pantothenic in food sources such as fish, chicken meat, broccoli, mushrooms and whole grains but in some cases it can actually be destroyed, especially when cooking with heat. In this case, if you do not eat these foods on a regular basis you can and should supplement your diet with more pantothenic acid which can aid in keeping you healthier. You can take up to 500 mg per day but it is recommended that you stick to 100 to 200 mg, although there are no side effects or dangers of taking higher amounts.