Pantothenic acid is a vitamin belonging to the B vitamins group and related to several benefits such as energy production and skin and hair health. Read the following to know more about it.
What is pantothenic acid?
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) is an essential water-soluble vitamin belonging to the B vitamins group. 1,2 It can be found almost in every food sources (ubiquitous) and therefore a dietary lack of this vitamin is quite rare.1 However, as all the water -soluble vitamins pantothenic acid can be lost while cooking foodstuff too, therefore it might be important to keep in mind to cook for the lowest time allowed for a safe food consumption and to eat fresh vegetables as much as you can.
Pantothenic acid (B5) is present in a wide range of dietary sources either of vegetal or animal origins, therefore a varied and balanced diet is able to adequately supply our body of vitamin B5.
The main foods that have pantothenic acid are:
- meat such as poultry and lean meat in general;
- fish;
- eggs;
- nuts;
- avocados;
- cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli;
- whole-grain cereals.
Pantothenic acid can also be found in fortified foods and supplements.
Pantothenic acid benefits
If you are wondering what is the function of pantothenic acid in our body, then you should know that it plays a role in carbohydrates, proteins and fats breakdown. In other words, it is able to turn food into energy and in fact it contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and normal mental performance.
Pantothenic acid, as well as other B vitamins such as folic acid, can be beneficial also during menopause. When a woman enters menopause, skin and hair might lose strength and brightness: pantothenic acid can be helpful for hair well-being supporting the maintenance of hair natural color as well as hair growth. Therefore, also during menopause it is important to have a varied and balanced diet in order to get a proper intake of pantothenic acid. Just an advice: check for new and tasty recipes for your meals, it might help to eat healthy and varied.
In conclusion, pantothenic acid is a water-soluble vitamin which is present in a wide variety of food sources: regular dietary intake of this vitamin might be beneficial in several aspects including hair and skin health.
