From your skin to your hormones, vitamin B5 plays an important role in keeping your body working normally. Also known as pantothenic acid, this essential B vitamin helps turn food into energy and supports everything from mental performance to the body's own production of steroid hormones. Here's what B5 does, where to find it, and when a supplement might help.
What does vitamin B5 do?
Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid, is an important member of the B vitamin family. Like all the B vitamins, it's water-soluble and it helps your body convert food into energy – so it contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. But B5 does plenty of other good work too.
One of its more distinctive roles is in hormones. B5 contributes to the normal synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, vitamin D and some neurotransmitters – which is a rather elegant way of saying it helps your body build and manage some of its most important chemical messengers. It also contributes to normal mental performance, which sets it a little apart from its B-vitamin siblings.
Because B5 is water-soluble, your body doesn't store it – you need a fresh supply each day through food or, if needed, a supplement.
What foods are high in vitamin B5?
Here's a nice piece of trivia: pantothenic acid takes its name from the Greek word panto, meaning "everywhere" – and that's genuinely where you'll find it. It's one of the most widely distributed nutrients in the food supply.
Good animal-based sources include chicken, beef, kidney, eggs and dairy products. Plant-based sources include mushrooms, avocado, lentils, kale and wholegrain cereals. Because it turns up in so many foods, deficiency is incredibly rare.
The NHS notes that no specific daily amount has been set in the UK for pantothenic acid, precisely because most people get all they need from a normal diet. One thing worth knowing is that B5 is sensitive to heat, and a fair amount can be lost in boiling – so steaming or microwaving tends to preserve more of it than boiling does.
Why take a vitamin B5 supplement?
If you're eating a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, protein and wholegrain foods, you may well not need a B5 supplement at all – and because your body simply passes out any excess, there's no benefit in taking more than you can use.
That said, some people like the reassurance of a steady, guaranteed intake – for instance if their diet is limited or restricted. In those cases, a B5 supplement, or a vitamin B complex that includes it, is a simple way to keep your daily intake topped up. You'll find B5 available both as a single-nutrient supplement and as part of a complex, so you can pick whichever suits you.
As always, if you're unsure whether a supplement would be useful for you – or you're pregnant, planning to be, or taking other medicines – a quick conversation with a healthcare professional is the best place to start.
Explore our range of vitamin B5 supplements to support normal energy release, mental performance and everyday vitality.