How Pantothenic Acid Benefits Your Health

Pantothenic acid is yet another B vitamin that is pivotal to our health but is easily forgotten in daily life.

It’s unlikely you’ve seen an article published on a major health site lately encouraging you to get more of it in your diet.

And yet, without adequate pantothenic acid intake, you can’t live a fully functional life.

It’s a critical nutrient for total health, and as I’ll discuss, if you are deficient in it, you will certainly feel the effects.

5 Major Benefits of Pantothenic Acid

Pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin essential for the synthesis and metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. If you’ve been reading the last few articles, you’ll note that almost all of our energy needs are met by B vitamins.

One key way that pantothenic contributes to your metabolic and energetic health is by playing a key role in coenzyme A (CoA) production. CoA is crucial for various biochemical reactions in the body, including the synthesis of fatty acids, steroid hormones, and neurotransmitters.

As I’ve mentioned about other B vitamins, pantothenic acid deficiency is rare because it’s found in many different and common foods. However, when deficiency does present itself, it may lead to symptoms like fatigue, irritability, numbness, muscle cramps, and digestive issues.

The best sources of pantothenic acid are Liver, chicken, eggs, salmon, milk, yogurt, brown rice, lentils, avocados, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, peanuts, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, and fortified cereals.

Let’s discuss how pantothenic acid helps you feel great.

1 - How it Boosts Energy Production:

We all wish we had endless energy streams, and many Americans feel worn out as they move throughout their day.

Pantothenic acid can help keep your energy levels up. As mentioned above, it plays a crucial role in energy production by synthesizing coenzyme A (CoA). The primary reason you need CoA is because it helps produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – the cell’s energy currency.

When your body uses pantothenic acid to make CoA, it is used in the Krebs cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle) to help convert the energy stored in foods into usable energy. 

Without adequate levels of CoA, our cells wouldn't be able to generate enough ATP, leading to fatigue and decreased physical performance. This is why it’s critical to consume pantothenic acid for optimal energy levels and overall vitality.

2 - The Way it Supports Healthy Metabolism:

Beyond just helping with energy levels, pantothenic acid can also help keep you trim (though there is a caveat here), as it‘s essential to a healthy metabolism.

If your diet lacked pantothenic acid, fat, protein, and carbohydrates, it would pile up as adipose tissue because pantothenic acid isn’t there to break them down. For some people, this can create other problems, like interference in insulin production and blood sugar regulation.

While pantothenic acid helps with energy production, it also regulates the balance between blood sugar and fatty acids, ensuring that our bodies efficiently use available energy sources.

It also affects hormone production, being involved in the biosynthesis of hormones like cortisol, which is important for stress response and is vital for metabolism regulation.

3 - Enhances Skin Health:

Sometimes, when I write about skin health and appearance, people think this is a vanity metric.

It’s not. Your skin’s appearance is often a reflection of internal health.

Pantothenic acid is vital for maintaining healthy skin, primarily through its roles in wound healing and skin hydration. Its involvement in CoA synthesis affects skin health as it facilitates the production of essential lipids that reinforce the skin barrier.

To maintain healthy skin, it’s critical to reinforce the fats (lipids) in the skin.

Research has shown that topical applications of pantothenic acid can significantly improve skin conditions. It aids in reducing acne, improving skin elasticity, and promoting faster healing of minor wounds and cuts.

Its anti-inflammatory properties can help alleviate symptoms of skin disorders like eczema, making it an essential nutrient for skincare regimens.

Whether you apply it directly to your skin or eat rich dietary sources of pantothenic acid, there’s an argument that having an adequate supply is necessary to keep you looking your best.

4 - Reduces Stress Levels:

As I mentioned above, pantothenic acid plays a significant role in the production of adrenal hormones, particularly cortisol.

I’ve written extensively about cortisol and its value as a hormone that our bodies use to respond to stress. 

When you eat ample amounts of pantothenic acid, you ensure your adrenal glands function optimally, which in turn helps regulate stress responses efficiently.

In addition to helping with hormone production, pantothenic acid supports the production of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, which is involved in mood regulation. If acetylcholine production is low, it interferes with messaging in the body, leading to an impaired stress response. 

By maintaining proper hormone balance and supporting neurological functions, pantothenic acid helps combat stress and its associated symptoms like anxiety and depression, fostering overall mental health.

5 -  Improves Immune Function:

After the pandemic, people became increasingly concerned about what they could do to support immune health.

Plenty of supplements were sold that did nothing, but pantothenic acid is not one of them, as it’s absolutely crucial for a robust immune system.

When I talk about “energy” production, we tend to think of how we feel during the day.

But here’s what you may not realize: A lot of that energy is used up by the energetic demands of the body to mount an immune response to dangerous pathogens. Without sufficient energy, the immune cells would be less effective in combating infections and diseases.

Even more, pantothenic acid aids in the production of antibodies and white blood cells, both of which are essential for a rapid and effective immune response. It also supports the production of hemoglobin, enhancing oxygen transport around the body and ensuring that immune cells receive adequate oxygen to function effectively.

Even better is it helps to reduce oxidative stress by acting as an antioxidant, giving an additional layer of protection to cells from free radical damage. Pantothenic acid becomes indispensable in maintaining overall health and protecting against pathogens by enhancing various aspects of immune function.

You May Not Be Deficient, But…

Like I said earlier, there’s a good chance you won’t be deficient in pantothenic acid if you’re eating whole foods.

If your diet is filled with processed foods, you may not get enough of it to maintain peak human health. As with any nutrient, it is always best to consume it as part of a balanced diet or consult a healthcare provider before supplementing.

But a solid multivitamin like ours will ensure you never lack of pantothenic acid.