Pantothenic Acid (B5): Energy, Skin & Metabolism
Pantothenic Acid (B5): Energy, Skin & Metabolism
Ever wonder how a bowl of cawl or a Sunday roast actually turns into the energy that gets you through a long day at work or a weekend walk in the hills? A big part of that process depends on a B vitamin you've probably never thought about: pantothenic acid.
What Is Pantothenic Acid?
Pantothenic acid, also called vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin that your body needs to break down the food you eat into usable energy. Its name comes from the Greek word for "everywhere," which is fitting because it's found in nearly every plant and animal food in some amount.
Inside your cells, pantothenic acid is used to build a molecule called coenzyme A (CoA). CoA is involved in hundreds of chemical reactions that keep your body running, including breaking down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and building hormones and cholesterol. Think of pantothenic acid as a raw ingredient your body can't make on its own in useful amounts — it has to come from your breakfast, your dinner table, or occasionally a supplement.
Because it's so widely distributed in food, a true deficiency is rare in the UK, or anywhere with a reasonably varied diet. Most people who eat a mix of bread, potatoes, meat, fish, vegetables, and eggs are already getting a steady, if unnoticed, supply.
Why Do People Take It?
Turning Food Into Everyday Energy
This is pantothenic acid's core job. As part of coenzyme A, it helps your body convert the carbohydrates in your pasta, bread or rice and the fats in your curry or fry-up into energy your cells can actually use. Without enough CoA activity, this conversion process would be far less efficient, which is part of why B vitamins as a group are often linked to feelings of fatigue when intake is poor. It won't give you a caffeine-like jolt the way a strong cup of tea or a hot chocolate might, but it's part of the quiet machinery that keeps your metabolism ticking over all day.
Supporting Skin Repair
Pantothenic acid and its related compounds, like panthenol, are known for helping skin cells called keratinocytes grow and repair themselves properly. Laboratory research has found that when pantothenic acid is in short supply, skin cells don't proliferate as well and produce less of the collagen-supporting proteins needed for healthy skin structure. This is also why you'll see panthenol listed on the back of many moisturisers and after-sun products sold here — it's one of the more established cosmetic uses of this vitamin.
A Possible Role in Managing Cholesterol
Because pantothenic acid is central to how the body processes fats, researchers have studied a related form called pantethine for its effect on blood lipids. Some clinical trials in people with mildly elevated cholesterol have found reductions in LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides after supplementation, alongside dietary counselling. This is an active area of research rather than a settled fact, and it's not a substitute for the cholesterol management your doctor may already have you on, especially relevant given how common dyslipidaemia screening is through routine health checks.
Emerging Interest in Acne Support
A newer area of interest is whether oral pantothenic acid supplements can help with facial acne. Randomised, placebo-controlled trials have tested pantothenic acid-based supplements over 12-week periods and found reductions in total facial lesion count compared with placebo, along with improvements in quality-of-life scores. A broader review of nutraceuticals studied for acne found pantothenic acid among the supplements with fair-quality evidence of benefit, though researchers are clear that larger trials are still needed before it becomes a standard recommendation alongside typical dermatologist-guided acne care.
Bioavailability & Absorption
Pantothenic acid is absorbed in your small intestine, mostly through an active transport system at typical dietary intakes, switching to simple passive absorption when intake is much higher. Because it's water-soluble, your body doesn't store meaningful reserves of it the way it does with fat-soluble vitamins like D or E — any extra you don't use gets flushed out in urine. This is exactly why B vitamins, pantothenic acid included, need to be replenished through your diet on a fairly regular basis rather than stockpiled for later.
Interestingly, bacteria living in your gut may also produce some pantothenic acid, though scientists haven't fully worked out how much this contributes to your overall levels. For most people eating a typical British diet with a mix of bread, potatoes, meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables, absorption isn't something you need to actively manage — the vitamin is common enough, and your gut is efficient enough, that deficiency concerns are mainly limited to very restrictive diets or specific medical conditions.
Safety Basics
Pantothenic acid has an excellent safety record. Health authorities have not been able to identify a tolerable upper limit because there's simply no strong evidence of toxicity from high intakes in humans. The main downside reported with very large supplemental amounts is mild stomach upset or diarrhoea, which typically resolves once intake is reduced.
It isn't known to interact meaningfully with common medications, but it's still good practice to mention any supplement you're taking to your pharmacist or doctor, particularly if you're managing a chronic condition or taking multiple medications, which is common among older adults attending GP surgery follow-ups. People with a rare inherited condition called pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration process this vitamin abnormally and should be guided by a specialist rather than general advice. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also check with their healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, as with any nutrient.
Natural Food Sources
You don't need to hunt for exotic ingredients — pantothenic acid shows up across the foods already common on local tables:
- Chicken, beef, and organ meats — think the meat in your roast chicken dinner or beef stew
- Eggs, including the ones in your weekend fry-up or a lunchtime omelette
- Fish and shellfish, common in fish pie, fish soup, and seafood stalls by the seaside
- Mushrooms, avocado, and broccoli
- Whole grains and fortified breakfast cereals
- Legumes such as lentils, split peas, and soybeans (think tofu or soy-based dishes)
- Sunflower seeds, peanuts, and yoghurt
Because pantothenic acid is sensitive to heat, freezing, and processing, fresher, less-processed versions of these foods tend to retain more of it than heavily canned or ultra-processed alternatives.
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Final Thoughts
Pantothenic acid rarely gets the spotlight the way vitamin C or vitamin D do, but it's working quietly in the background every time your body turns a meal into energy. For most people eating a varied local diet, getting enough of it isn't a struggle — it's genuinely one of the easier nutritional boxes to tick. If you're curious about specific benefits like skin support or cholesterol management, that's a good conversation to have with a doctor or pharmacist rather than something to self-manage with high-dose supplements.
This article is for general informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet or supplement routine.
References
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/PantothenicAcid-HealthProfessional/ - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/pantothenic-acid-vitamin-b5/ - MedlinePlus
https://www.medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002410.htm - Linus Pauling Institute
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/pantothenic-acid - PubMed Central
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4065280/ - Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/pantothenic-acid-oral-route/description/drg-20065349