What Is Pantothenic Acid & What Foods Can I Find It In?

3D-model of Pantothenic acid (src)

Pantothenic acid is one of the water-soluble B vitamins, known as vitamin B5.

It is also called pantothenate. It is an essential nutrient.

Pantothenic acid is vital for the release of energy from the food we consume.

Table of Contents

Pantothenic Acid Is Essential

Pantothenic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin and an essential nutrient. (source )

We cannot synthesize pantothenic acid and therefore have to get it through the diet. (source )

You can find the benefits of pantothenic acid in Pantothenic acid: 6 Research-Backed Benefits .

Pantothenic acid is vital for the release of energy from food, for healthy growth, and the production of antibodies.

Pantothenic acid requirer vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin B9, and vitamin B3 to function properly. (source )

Deficiency Is Rare

Because that pantothenic acid is present in almost all foods is deficiency rare.

Except in people with severe malnutrition.

Deficiency leads to depression and fatigue. (source )

Not Hard To Get Pantothenic Acid From Food

All food groups contain some amount of pantothenic acid.

Good natural sources of pantothenic acid are sweet potato, lentils, split peas, yogurt, avocado, chicken, and liver.

Refining grains reduces the content of pantothenic acid. (source )

Pantothenic acid is stable during cooking and storage, although some destruction occurs at prolonged high temperatures.

But highly processed foods have lower pantothenic contents than fresh foods.

Some of the pantothenic acid content may be lost during freezing or canning. (source )

Foods You Can Find Pantothenic Acid In

You find pantothenic acid mostly in breakfast cereal, snacks, vegetables, and beverages.

Examples of food sources include

Foods in our nutrition tool

You can find regularly updated, top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.

If you are interested in what foods contain the most pantothenic acid, we recommend you visit our tool.

Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Pantothenic Acid.

Sara Niemelä

co-founder Care Omnia, Head Content Creator

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Nutrition is my passion. I've spent thousands upon thousands of hours reading, analyzing, categorizing and comparing research studies.

I’m a wife and a mother of three. I enjoy the outdoors, cooking, and spending time with my family.