Moving on to the fifth: Pantothenic acid - B5

Ciao Nutrinutters!


Today is a special day, instead of writing from my usual spot at my desk at home, I'm writing with this beautiful view:

Not bad huh?

Our next vitamin from the B-files is one that when I was studying nutrition in college I used to remember as the one with the name that made me think of the shampoo/conditioner brand Pantene...

Ladies and gents I present to you B5 or pantothenic acid....and unfortunately you will rarely see it being called "B5" but pantothenic acid instead...why simplify right? don't scientists have the best sense of humor? ;)

What does this shampoo vitamin do anyways??

Pantothenic acid is really important in many body functions and is mainly found in our cells in the form of coenzyme A. Let's break this one down so it doesn't sound so confusing shall we? Starting with what is an enzyme - this is a molecule that will help accelerate chemical processes that are fundamental in our bodies. Some enzymes however, require another molecule to help carry out its function and this little fella is called a coenzyme.

So coenzyme A, where B5 is found in the body, is responsible for participating in many reactions including enabling your body to use energy from food and the ability of your body to make essential fats, cholesterol and steroid hormones.
Pantothenic acid also protects hemoglobin - this is the protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen though the body.
With this vitamin playing such an important role in our bodies, luckily deficiency of B5 is very rare and was only found in very critical malnutrition.

How much Pantothenic acid is needed and where can I find it in foods?

Your body actually has a limited ability to store B5 so we can observe that the needs for this vitamin is a little higher than the previous ones we've discussed - for adult males and females, the recommended is 5 milligrams per day. For pregnant women or breast feeding the recommendation is a little higher of 6 and 7 milligrams respectively.

Some foods that are good sources of pantothenic acid are meats, fish, eggs, beans and whole grain cereals.

Remember that since B5 is not stored well in the body and being another water-soluble vitamin, there aren't any known toxicity symptoms that come from having too many food rich in this vitamin.


Thank you once again for giving this Nutrinut another week to show you a little more about vitamins and a special hello to the nutrinutters from Brazil, Malaysia, Germany, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Vietnam, Canada, Australia and the U.S.!!!

xoxo

-The Nutrinut-

Sources: Linus Pauling Institute, nutrition411, nutrition for dummies