What pantothenic acid does
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is a water-soluble B vitamin the body uses to make coenzyme A, essential for turning food into energy. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements sets the adult Adequate Intake (AI) at 5 mg/day (6 mg in pregnancy, 7 mg in lactation) [1].
No upper limit
The Food and Nutrition Board could not set a Tolerable Upper Intake Level because there are no reports of pantothenic acid toxicity in humans at high intakes [1]. Very large doses may occasionally cause mild digestive upset, but it is otherwise considered safe.
It really is everywhere
The vitamin's name comes from the Greek *pantothen* ('from everywhere'), reflecting how widely it's distributed in foods [1]:
- Beef liver, chicken, and eggs
- Fortified cereals
- Mushrooms, sunflower seeds, and avocado
- Whole grains, dairy, and many vegetables
Deficiency is rare
Because it's so widespread, deficiency is extremely uncommon and essentially occurs only with severe malnutrition or a rare inherited disorder affecting coenzyme A [1]. There's no need to seek out a standalone B5 supplement for general health.
A note on high-dose B5 marketing
Pantothenic acid is sometimes marketed at high doses for skin or cholesterol. Evidence for such uses is limited, and because B5 is so easy to obtain from food, the practical takeaway is that most people already get plenty. As with any high-dose supplement, more is not automatically better (see dose-response).