There isn’t a maximum safe daily dosage of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). We can safely get high dose from food and dietary supplements!
What’s the recommended daily intake?
The recommended daily intake of pantothenic acid is 5 mg for adults and teenagers. Only pregnant and lactating women need higher doses of vitamin B5. In contrast, children require lower dosages, depending on their age.
What’s the maximum dose of Pantothenic Acid I can safely take a day?
Actually, the Food and National Board hasn’t established a maximum safe dose of pantothenic acid. Even extremely high dosages from supplements are rather unlikely to cause toxicity. Certainly, we can’t get too much pantothenic acid from food.[1]
Do I need dietary supplements with Pantothenic Acid?
Vitamin B5 deficiency is rare. In fact, there are many foods high in pantothenic acid. Thus, only people who follow a poor diet or have certain diseases may be deficient in this vitamin.
Low concentrations of vitamin B5 may lead to fatigue, headache, numbness, muscle cramps, paresthesia, abdominal cramps, and nausea.
Certainly, improving eating habits should be the first step for dealing with vitamin B5 deficiency.
Side effects of too much pantothenic acid
Extremely high doses of vitamin B5 don’t cause toxicity. But, side effects may occur. Muscle or joint pain, sore throat, headache, weakness, nausea, abdominal pain, urinary tract infection, diarrhea, and constipation are only a few possible side effects of taking extremely high dosages of vitamin B5 from dietary supplements for a long time.
Furthermore, pantothenic acid supplements may interact with drugs. In fact, there are at least 60 drugs that have mild interactions with vitamin B5.
Hence, you should consult your healthcare provider before taking pantothenic acid supplements. Especially, if you’re under medication.
Do supplements exceed the maximum daily safe dosage?
Most dietary supplements contain extremely high amounts of pantothenic acid. Doses of 500 mg are pretty common. This dose is 100 times the recommended daily intake! However, although 500 mg of pantothenic acid too much, they’re considered pretty safe.
Keep in mind that mild side effects may occur at daily dosages greater than 10 mg.
So, healthy people who follow a well-balanced diet may benefit more from taking a B-complex multivitamin rather than a vitamin B5 supplement.
Biotin, folate, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 are all vital for good health and energy metabolism. In fact, vitamin B12 deficiency is the most common. So, many people can benefit from a supplement containing it.
You can find a wide variety of B-complex multivitamins at unbeatable prices on iHerb.
Can I get too much Pantothenic Acid from food?
A wide variety of foods contain pantothenic acid. Actually, this vitamin is present in many animal-based and plant-based foods. Healthy people who follow a well-balanced diet get high doses from food.
Certainly, we can’t consume too much pantothenic acid from food. Practically, eating foods high in vitamin B5 can’t cause side effects.
For instance. eggs, milk, beef, chicken, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, peanuts, avocado, potatoes, beans, vegetables and whole grains are excellent natural sources of vitamin B5.
Health benefits of Pantothenic Acid
Pantothenic acid is a water-soluble B-vitamin. It’s also known as vitamin B5.
Pantothenic acid is an essential nutrient. We have to get it from food. Our bodies produce tiny amounts, which aren’t enough to meet our daily needs.
The main function of pantothenic acid is the synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA). This important enzyme has a key role in hundreds of human biochemical reactions such as cell growth, metabolism, and neurotransmitter synthesis.[1]
Additionally, pantothenic acid supports energy metabolism and fatty acid synthesis. Actually, all B-vitamin are involved in weight loss and belly fat burning!