Vitamin B5
Vitamin ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Essential for synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA), which is involved in hundreds of metabolic pathways including fatty acid synthesis and energy production.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
Vitamin B5 is a vitamin most often used for energy production, hormone synthesis, wound healing. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as moderate. A typical adult dose is 250–500 mg daily, commonly taken as pantothenic acid or pantethine (for cholesterol). This profile indexes 17 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating moderate. Most-documented uses: energy production, hormone synthesis, wound healing. 17 sources indexed (1995–2024), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Converted to coenzyme A, the universal acyl carrier essential for the citric acid cycle, fatty acid synthesis and oxidation, cholesterol synthesis, acetylcholine production, and steroid hormone synthesis.16,15
Dosing & protocol.
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Pantothenic Acid / Pantethine.
Assumes 250-500 mg/day. Vendor basis: NOW/iHerb, Vitacost, Life Extension, and Amazon marketplace; pantethine products price above pantothenic acid. Updated 2026-05-28.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Food easily covers daily needs, but high-dose supplements are far above dietary intake.
Full safety detail.
Side effects
- Diarrhea at high doses
- GI discomfort
Contraindications
- None significant
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Randomized controlled trials
5- 1Pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5, favorably alters total, LDL and non-HDL cholesterol in low to moderate cardiovascular risk subjects eligible for statin therapy: a triple-blinded placebo and diet-controlled investigationPMIDEvans M et al. · Vasc Health Risk Manag · 2014
Pantethine (600-900 mg/day for 16 weeks) significantly decreased total cholesterol and LDL-C compared to placebo; 11% LDL decrease from baseline
- 2A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a novel pantothenic Acid-based dietary supplement in subjects with mild to moderate facial acnePMIDYang M, Moclair B, Hatcher V et al. · Dermatology and therapy · 2014
Yang M, Moclair B, Hatcher V et al.. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a novel pantothenic Acid-based dietary supplement in subjects with mild to moderate facial acne. Dermatology and therapy. 2014
- 3A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effects of pantethine on lipid profileSource linkedPMIDEvans M, Rumberger JA, Azumano I et al. · Vasc Health Risk Manag · 2014
- 4Pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B(5) used as a nutritional supplement, favorably alters low-density lipoprotein cholesterol metabolism in low- to moderate-cardiovascular risk North American subjects: a triple-blinded placebo and diet-controlled investigationPMIDRumberger JA et al. · Nutr Res · 2011
Pantethine supplementation for 16 weeks significantly lowered total cholesterol and LDL-C beyond the effect of therapeutic lifestyle changes diet alone
- 5Effect of pantothenic acid and ascorbic acid supplementation on human skin wound healing process. A double-blind, prospective and randomized trialPMIDVaxman F, Olender S, Lambert A et al. · European surgical research. Europaische chirurgische Forschung. Recherches chirurgicales europeennes · 1995
Vaxman F, Olender S, Lambert A et al.. Effect of pantothenic acid and ascorbic acid supplementation on human skin wound healing process. A double-blind, prospective and randomized trial. European surgical research. Europaische chirurgische Forschung. Recherches chirurgicales europeennes. 1995
Reviews & position papers
10- 6Pantothenic acid - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023PMIDVarious · Food Nutr Res · 2024
Comprehensive scoping review of pantothenic acid covering dietary requirements, sources, metabolism, and health outcomes for nutrition guideline development
- 7Vitamin B5 metabolism is essential for vacuolar and mitochondrial functions and drug detoxification in fungiPMIDChoi JY, Gihaz S, Munshi M et al. · Communications biology · 2024
Choi JY, Gihaz S, Munshi M et al.. Vitamin B5 metabolism is essential for vacuolar and mitochondrial functions and drug detoxification in fungi. Communications biology. 2024
- 8Development of a Type I-E CRISPR-Based Programmable Repression System for Fine-Tuning Metabolic Flux toward D-Pantothenic Acid in Bacillus subtilisPMIDMao C, Zheng H, Chen Y et al. · ACS synthetic biology · 2024
Mao C, Zheng H, Chen Y et al.. Development of a Type I-E CRISPR-Based Programmable Repression System for Fine-Tuning Metabolic Flux toward D-Pantothenic Acid in Bacillus subtilis. ACS synthetic biology. 2024
- 9Effects of Pantothenic Acid Supplementation on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, Plasma Parameters of Starter White Pekin Ducks Fed a Corn-Soybean Meal DietPMIDTang J, Wu Y, Zhang B et al. · Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2021
Tang J, Wu Y, Zhang B et al.. Effects of Pantothenic Acid Supplementation on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, Plasma Parameters of Starter White Pekin Ducks Fed a Corn-Soybean Meal Diet. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI. 2021
- 10Effect of biotin and pantothenic acid on performance and concentrations of avidin-binding substances in blood and milk of lactating dairy cowsPMIDFerreira G, Brown AN, Teets CL · Journal of dairy science · 2015
Ferreira G, Brown AN, Teets CL. Effect of biotin and pantothenic acid on performance and concentrations of avidin-binding substances in blood and milk of lactating dairy cows. Journal of dairy science. 2015
- 11Acute pantothenic acid and cysteine supplementation does not affect muscle coenzyme A content, fuel selection, or exercise performance in healthy humansPMIDWall BT, Stephens FB, Marimuthu K et al. · Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2012
Wall BT, Stephens FB, Marimuthu K et al.. Acute pantothenic acid and cysteine supplementation does not affect muscle coenzyme A content, fuel selection, or exercise performance in healthy humans. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 2012
- 12A pilot study of the effect of pantothenic acid in the treatment of post-operative ileus: results from an orthopedic surgical departmentPMIDGiraldi G, De Luca d'Alessandro E, Mannocci A et al. · La Clinica terapeutica · 2012
Giraldi G, De Luca d'Alessandro E, Mannocci A et al.. A pilot study of the effect of pantothenic acid in the treatment of post-operative ileus: results from an orthopedic surgical department. La Clinica terapeutica. 2012
- 13Pantothenic acid and coenzyme A in health and diseaseMiller JW, Rucker RB · Adv Nutr · 2012
- 14Pantothenic acid in ruminant nutrition: a reviewPMIDRagaller V, Lebzien P, Südekum KH et al. · Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition · 2011
Ragaller V, Lebzien P, Südekum KH et al.. Pantothenic acid in ruminant nutrition: a review. Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition. 2011
- 15Biosynthesis of Pantothenic Acid and Coenzyme APMIDLeonardi R, Jackowski S · EcoSal Plus · 2007
Pantothenate is vitamin B5 and the key precursor for biosynthesis of CoA, a universal cofactor involved in synthesis of phospholipids, fatty acid metabolism, and TCA cycle
Reference material
2- 16Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)PMIDNational Library of Medicine · StatPearls · 2023
Pantothenic acid is a water-soluble vitamin essential as a component of coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl carrier protein (ACP) in hundreds of metabolic pathways
- 17Shichkin VP. Vitamin B5 and vitamin U review: justification of combined use for the treatment of mucosa-associated gastrointestinal pathologies. Frontiers in pharmacology. 2025Source linkedPMID
Common questions.
Quick answers about Vitamin B5, drawn from the data on this page.
What is Vitamin B5?
Essential for synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA), which is involved in hundreds of metabolic pathways including fatty acid synthesis and energy production.
What is Vitamin B5 used for?
Commonly cited benefits of Vitamin B5 include: Energy production; Hormone synthesis; Wound healing; Cholesterol balance (pantethine form, not pantothenic acid). NutriStack rates the overall evidence as moderate.
What is a typical dose of Vitamin B5?
A typical adult dose of Vitamin B5 is 250–500 mg daily. The commonly recommended form is Pantothenic acid or pantethine (for cholesterol). These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of Vitamin B5?
Reported side effects include diarrhea at high doses, gi discomfort. This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for Vitamin B5?
NutriStack rates this as Moderate, meaning several aligned RCTs or one large RCT plus supporting reviews. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Use this with your stack
Vitamin B5 in NutriStack.
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