Pantothenic acid

Studies in people

• No harm found

  Vitamin levels in teens³

  Teens eating less pantothenic acid than advised still had normal levels in their blood.

• Concern

  DNA damage in people⁵

  People who ate the most pantothenic acid showed more DNA damage in their blood cells.

• Benefit

  Long-term inflammation⁹

  In adults in South Korea, eating more pantothenic acid was linked to lower levels of a marker of inflammation.

How it’s made and used

• Dietary intake data gaps²

  Pantothenic acid is found in many foods, but Nordic and Baltic countries lack data on how much people actually eat.

• Vitamin levels in pregnancy⁴

  Pregnant and breastfeeding women who did not take pantothenic acid supplements had lower blood levels than other women.

• Vitamin levels in the body⁶

  Taking pantothenic acid pills made people pee out more pantothenic acid, and niacin pills lowered it.

• Exercise performance⁷

  In trained male cyclists, 16 weeks of pantothenic acid did not change muscle CoASH or exercise performance.

• Supplement use and excretion⁸

  Older people who took pantothenic acid supplements had higher levels of it in their urine.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.