By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Updated 5 November 2026
Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, is a water-soluble B vitamin your body uses to make coenzyme A, a molecule at the centre of how you build and break down fats and turn food into energy. EFSA sets an adequate intake of 5 mg a day for adults, rising to 7 mg when breastfeeding. Almost all plant and animal foods contain some, and the richest everyday sources are liver, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, fish, eggs and avocado. Deficiency is rare outside severe malnutrition, so for most people this is a vitamin to understand rather than to chase.
What vitamin B5 does
Pantothenic acid is the raw material for two molecules: coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl carrier protein (ACP). CoA helps the body make and break down fatty acids and moves acyl groups between molecules; ACP’s main job is building fatty acids. That puts vitamin B5 right in the middle of energy metabolism and of making fats and fat-based molecules such as steroid hormones.
The EU allows these health claims for foods that are at least a “source” of pantothenic acid (Regulation (EU) 432/2012):
- “Pantothenic acid contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism”
- “Pantothenic acid contributes to normal synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, vitamin D and some neurotransmitters”
- “Pantothenic acid contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue”
- “Pantothenic acid contributes to normal mental performance”
These claims describe what the vitamin does when you have enough of it. They do not mean that extra B5 on top of a normal diet gives you more energy or a sharper mind.
How much you need a day
| Group | EFSA adequate intake (AI) | EFSA upper limit (UL) | For reference: US AI (NIH) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 5 mg | Not set | 5 mg |
| Women | 5 mg | Not set | 5 mg |
| Pregnancy | 5 mg | Not set | 6 mg |
| Breastfeeding | 7 mg | Not set | 7 mg |
| Children 4-10 years | 4 mg | Not set | – |
EFSA did not have enough data to set an average requirement, so its figures are adequate intakes, based on what people in the EU eat on mixed diets without signs of deficiency. The extra 2 mg when breastfeeding covers what passes into breast milk. There is no upper limit: EFSA’s overview of upper levels lists pantothenic acid as “no adequate data to derive a UL” (Scientific Committee on Food, 2002), and the US Food and Nutrition Board reached the same point because no toxicity has been reported in humans at high intakes.
Best food sources
| Food | Vitamin B5, 100 g | Portion | Vitamin B5 per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower seeds, dry roasted | 7.04 mg | 28 g (1 oz) | 2.0 mg |
| Beef liver, pan-fried | 6.94 mg | 85 g | 5.9 mg |
| Shiitake mushrooms, cooked | 3.59 mg | 4 mushrooms, 72 g | 2.6 mg |
| White mushrooms, raw | 1.50 mg | 1 cup sliced, 70 g | 1.05 mg |
| Atlantic salmon, farmed, cooked | 1.48 mg | 85 g | 1.3 mg |
| Egg, hard-boiled | 1.40 mg | 1 large, 50 g | 0.70 mg |
| Avocado, raw | 1.39 mg | ½ avocado, 100 g | 1.4 mg |
| Chicken breast, roasted | 0.97 mg | ½ breast, 86 g | 0.83 mg |
| Lentils, boiled | 0.64 mg | 1 cup, 198 g | 1.3 mg |
| Potato, baked with skin | 0.38 mg | 1 medium, 173 g | 0.65 mg |
Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, checked 5 November 2026: sunflower seeds FDC 170563, beef liver FDC 168627, shiitake FDC 168437, white mushrooms FDC 169251, salmon FDC 175168, egg FDC 173424, avocado FDC 171705, chicken breast FDC 171477, lentils FDC 172421, potato FDC 170093. Portions are USDA household measures (half an avocado is half of the 201 g USDA average); values per portion are calculated and rounded.
A portion of liver covers more than a day’s 5 mg on its own, and a handful of sunflower seeds or four shiitake give roughly 40% and 50% of it. Because the vitamin is spread across so many foods, a plate built from mushrooms, eggs, salmon, lentils, avocado and potatoes adds up quickly. Processing is the weak spot: NIH reports losses of 20% to almost 80% in processed foods, and the body absorbs roughly half of what food contains (40-61% in the limited data). Whole, lightly cooked foods keep more of it. Two easy ways in: a bulgur pilaf with mushrooms and walnuts or baked salmon with root vegetables.
Deficiency: signs and who is at risk
Pantothenic acid deficiency is rare, except in people with severe malnutrition. The known cases come from diets with virtually no pantothenic acid, or from studies that used a substance blocking the vitamin. The symptoms described in prisoners of war and in controlled diet studies were numbness and burning in the hands and feet, headache, fatigue, irritability, restlessness, disturbed sleep and stomach and gut problems with loss of appetite.
The one group NIH singles out is people with mutations in the PANK2 gene, which cause pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), a rare inherited disorder with movement problems (dystonia, spasticity) and changes in the retina. Whether supplements help in PKAN is not known; anecdotal reports suggest benefit in some atypical cases. This is specialist territory, not self-care.
Tiredness has many causes, and with a vitamin found in almost every food, low B5 is an unlikely one.
Supplements: when they make sense
Most people do not need a separate B5 supplement. It turns up in multivitamins (around 10 mg) and in B-complex or single products (up to 1,000 mg). The usual form is calcium pantothenate; another is pantethine, a form built from two linked pantetheine molecules. No studies have compared how well the different forms are absorbed.
The one area with real research is blood fats, and it concerns pantethine, not pantothenic acid itself. A 2005 review of 28 small trials (646 adults, median 900 mg a day) reported triglycerides falling by 14.2% after one month and 32.9% after four months, with LDL cholesterol down 10.4% and 20.1%. Two later placebo-controlled studies in 152 adults found small but significant reductions after 16 weeks. NIH concludes that more studies are needed. If your cholesterol or triglycerides are high, that is a conversation with your doctor, not a reason to swap treatment for a supplement.
Food first. The NHS advises getting pantothenic acid from a varied, balanced diet and says that 200 mg or less a day from supplements is unlikely to cause harm. We do not recommend specific products on this page.
Who should be careful
- Very high doses. Some people taking large amounts, such as 10 g a day, develop mild diarrhoea and stomach upset (NIH).
- Medicines. Pantothenic acid has no known clinically relevant interactions with medications. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about it anyway, as with any supplement.
- B-complex products. B5 itself has no upper limit, but the same capsule often holds vitamin B6, which does, and EFSA’s limit for B6 is low (12 mg a day for adults). Check every B vitamin on the label, not only B5.
- Pregnancy and liver. Liver is the richest B5 source, but it is also very high in vitamin A: USDA lists 7,740 µg RAE per 100 g of pan-fried beef liver. The NHS advises avoiding liver if you are pregnant.
- PKAN. Any supplement plan belongs with the specialist team.
FAQ
What is vitamin B5 good for?
Vitamin B5 is needed to make coenzyme A, which the body uses to release energy from food and to build fats, steroid hormones and some neurotransmitters. The EU allows foods that are a source of it to say it contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, normal mental performance and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. It does these things when your intake is adequate; extra doses do not add more.
Which foods are high in vitamin B5?
Per 100 g, dry roasted sunflower seeds (7.0 mg) and pan-fried beef liver (6.9 mg) lead, followed by cooked shiitake (3.6 mg), white mushrooms, salmon, eggs and avocado at around 1.4-1.5 mg (USDA). Lentils, chicken and potatoes add smaller amounts, and almost every food has some.
Can you take too much vitamin B5?
No upper limit has been set, because no toxicity has been reported in humans. Very large doses, around 10 g a day, can cause mild diarrhoea and stomach upset. The NHS says 200 mg or less a day from supplements is unlikely to cause harm.
Related entries and articles
- Mushrooms and sunflower seeds – two of the best plant sources
- Eggs, salmon and avocado
- Lentils
- Vitamin B6 and vitamin B7 (biotin)
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin B3 (niacin)
- Foods for energy without caffeine
- Bulgur pilaf with mushrooms and walnuts
- Baked salmon with root vegetables
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Pantothenic Acid, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals, updated 1 May 2026. ods.od.nih.gov
- EFSA NDA Panel (2014). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for pantothenic acid. EFSA Journal 3581. efsa.europa.eu
- EFSA: Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels, version 11, August 2025. efsa.europa.eu
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 – permitted health claims. legislation.gov.uk
- NHS: Vitamin B (pantothenic acid). nhs.uk
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dry roasted, without salt (FDC 170563). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Beef, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, pan-fried (FDC 168627). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Mushrooms, shiitake, cooked, without salt (FDC 168437) and Mushrooms, white, raw (FDC 169251). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked, dry heat (FDC 175168); Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled (FDC 173424); Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted (FDC 171477). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties (FDC 171705); Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 172421); Potatoes, baked, flesh and skin, without salt (FDC 170093). fdc.nal.usda.gov
This page is for information only and is not medical or dietary advice.