Pantothenic acid (B5) — what the science says

In a nutshell

EFSA considers 5 mg of pantothenic acid a day adequate, and recommends 7 mg when breastfeeding.¹
A deficiency is rare because almost all food contains it.¹
Pantethine, a form of vitamin B5, lowered LDL cholesterol by 4–11% in small studies.^5,6

1What it does and how much you need

Pantothenic acid is part of coenzyme A and other substances that cells need for their metabolism. It is in almost all foods, so a deficiency is rare.¹

EFSA recommendation 5 mg EFSA set the adequate intake at 5 mg a day for adults and pregnant women and 7 mg when breastfeeding. It is based on what people in Europe usually eat — 3.2–6.3 mg a day — and the fact that they do not show a deficiency.¹

EFSA has not set an upper level, because there are no data for it.²

2Where to find it

Data 7.2 mg A hundred grams of beef liver contain 7.2 mg of pantothenic acid, whey protein 5.5 mg, egg yolk 3 mg, dry lentils 2.1 mg and mushrooms 1.5 mg. People in Europe get it mainly from meat, bread, dairy and vegetables.^1,3

3Forms in supplements

In the EU, supplements may contain it as calcium or sodium D-pantothenate, dexpanthenol or pantethine.⁴ According to EFSA, how well it is absorbed has not yet been properly measured.¹

4Cholesterol and skin

Weak evidence — small studies −4 to −11% Pantethine, a form of vitamin B5, lowered LDL cholesterol compared with placebo in two randomised trials: by 4% in a study of 120 people and by 11% in a study of 32 people. They took 600–900 mg a day for 16 weeks while also following a cholesterol-lowering diet.^5,6

Weak evidence — a small study 41 people A pantothenic acid-based supplement reduced the number of spots more than placebo after 12 weeks in a study of 41 evaluated people with mild acne.⁷

What to take from this

You don’t need to worry about pantothenic acid — a varied diet provides enough.¹
Pantethine may lower cholesterol slightly, but it has only been studied in small trials.^5,6
For acne, the evidence so far comes from one small study.⁷
ForkRep tracks pantothenic acid against the EFSA recommendation of 5 mg.

Sources

Written on 11 Oct 2026, based on studies available at that date. Newer research may change the conclusions.

EFSA NDA Panel (2014). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for pantothenic acid. EFSA Journal 12:3581. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3581
EFSA (2025). Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels as derived by the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) and the EFSA Panel on Nutrition (version 11). efsa.europa.eu
USDA ARS (2018). FoodData Central — SR Legacy, pantothenic acid per 100 g: beef liver, raw 7.2 mg (FDC 169451), whey protein (average) 5.5 mg (FDC 173180), egg yolk 3.0 mg (FDC 172184), lentils, dry 2.1 mg (FDC 172420), white mushrooms 1.5 mg (FDC 169251). fdc.nal.usda.gov
Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements, Annex II — forms of vitamins and minerals permitted in supplements (consolidated version 26 Nov 2025). eur-lex.europa.eu
Rumberger J. A. et al. (2011). Pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5 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 investigation. Nutr Res 31:608–615. doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2011.08.001
Evans M. et al. (2014). Pantethine, 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 investigation. Vasc Health Risk Manag 10:89–100. doi.org/10.2147/VHRM.S57116
Yang M. et al. (2014). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a novel pantothenic acid-based dietary supplement in subjects with mild to moderate facial acne. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb) 4:93–101. doi.org/10.1007/s13555-014-0052-3

This is general information and does not replace a doctor. Food supplements are not medicines; buy them from trusted sellers and talk to a doctor if you are ill or take medicines.