What is Vitamin B5 | Vitamin B5 – Nutrition

What is Vitamin B5 | Vitamin B5 | Vitamin B5 – Nutrition | What are the Sources of Vitamin B5 | Benefits of Vitamin B5

Pantothenic acid, also called vitamin B5 (a B vitamin), is a water-soluble vitamin required to sustain life (essential nutrient). Pantothenic acid is needed to form coenzyme-A (CoA), and is critical in the metabolism and synthesis of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. In chemical structure, it is the amide between D-pantoate and beta-alanine.

Pantothenic acid, also called vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in the Kreb’s cycle of energy production and is needed to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Like other B vitamins, pantothenic acid helps the body extract energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It also helps to metabolize fats and produce red blood cells and hormones from the adrenal gland. Pantothenic acid is necessary to maintain good health.

In its functional form, vitamin B5 gets combined with another small, sulfur-containing molecule to form coenzyme A (or CoA). This conversion allows vitamin B5 to participate in a wide variety of chemical and organic reactions. Coenzyme A is needed to carry out various metabolic functions, and for the generation of energy in the form of ATP from fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

If you do not get enough B5 you can suffer from fatigue. It can also affect your general health and make you much more prone to catching infections. It is also possible to suffer from poor sleep and cramps. Vitamin B5 is very important for the proper functioning of the nerves in the body and it is for this reason that a lot of people believe that it makes a real contribution to the treatment of stress and fatigue. But probably the most important role for it is in helping the body to turn food into usable energy.

What are the Sources of Vitamin B5?

Animal sources: include liver, kidney, egg-yolk, Chicken, beef, yeast, milk etc. are the richest sources of this vitamin.

Vegetable sources: molasses, wheat bran, peas, sweet potatoes, oats, tomatoe etc. contain this vitamin in appreciable amounts.

It has also been produced synthetically.

Breakfast cereals are also a good source if they have been fortified with pantothenic acid.

Do not add soda to the water used for cooking vegetables – it will destroy the pantothenic acid.

What are the Benefits of Vitamin B5?

This vitamin is involved in all the vital functions of the body.

* Synthesizer: Vitamin B5 acts as a synthesizer of most important components required by human body. For instance, it helps in the formation of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids and antibiotics and also, stimulation of adrenal hormones.
* Stress Buster: Vitamin B5 has the flair to kill the stress and other serious mental problems like anxiety and depression to ensure fitness of mind. It does so by regulating the hormones responsible for giving birth to these mental states.
* Caring Human Heart: Vitamin B5 holds an impressive record in keeping the human heart in normal working condition. It regulates the level of cholesterol and also helps in controlling the blood pressure.
* Skin and Hair: More than anything else, Vitamin B5 helps in keeping the skin healthy and free from bad appearances. Also, it helps to postpone the appearance of early ageing signs over the skin. It is also expected that Vitamin B5 has an important role to play in pigmentation of hair, preventing them from discoloration before right age.
* Building Stamina: Vitamin B5 helps in reducing body fatigue and weariness and putting the functioning of body parts on right track. This means that this vitamin is capable of building the stamina of human body to perform well in various tasks. This is a momentous benefit of this vitamin, especially from the point of view of professionals like athletes.
* Water Solubility: As Vitamin B5 belongs to the group of water soluble vitamins, it is not expected to add any type of toxic substance in human body and thus, it proves to be beneficial for people from different age groups and genders.
* Immune System: Vitamin B5 is potent in strengthening the immune system of human body. This helps human body to fight against a number of infections and diseases. Thus, one can take advantage of this vitamin to decrease the liability of his or her body towards infections.
* Treating Many Problems: Vitamin B5 is helps in relieving human body from a number of detrimental problems like asthma, autism candedeases, osteoarthritis, Parkinson’s disease, premenstrual syndrome and many more. Thus, this vitamin is one solution for a number of illnesses.
* Hemoglobin: Vitamin B5 is enhancement of hemoglobin level in human body. Also, it assists liver in metabolizing toxic substances. In addition, it fuels cell division and DNA reproduction.