Vitamin B5

Vitamin B5, also called pantothenic acid, is a water-soluble B vitamin your body uses to make coenzyme A. Coenzyme A sits at the centre of how your cells turn carbohydrates, fats and protein into usable energy. It is also required for synthesising fatty acids, cholesterol, steroid hormones and several neurotransmitters.^[1]

The name comes from the Greek pantos, meaning everywhere. B5 is found in almost every food group, which is why true deficiency is rare in healthy women eating a varied diet.^[1] The reason it shows up in a daily routine is different. Coenzyme A turnover is constant. Your body cannot store B5 in any meaningful amount. Steady intake keeps the system topped up.

Forms of vitamin B5

B5 appears in supplements in three main forms.

Calcium D-pantothenate is the calcium salt of pantothenic acid. It is the most stable form, which is why it is the form used in most multivitamins and food supplements. Once swallowed your gut releases the pantothenate, which is then absorbed and used to build coenzyme A.^[1]

Pantothenic acid is the free acid form. It is the same molecule but less stable in dry powders, so it is rarely used as the standalone ingredient in solid supplements.

Panthenol (dexpanthenol) is the alcohol version of pantothenic acid. Your body converts it into pantothenic acid after absorption. Panthenol is mostly used topically in creams and hair products because it penetrates skin well. It is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter wound and barrier creams sold under the Bepanthen brand.^[5]

How much you need

The European Food Safety Authority sets the adequate intake for adult women at 6 mg of pantothenic acid per day. Pregnancy raises this to 7 mg. The EU nutrient reference value used on supplement labels is 6 mg, so 5 mg in the nōuxx Cycle Routine baseline covers 83% of the daily reference intake.^[1]

Pantothenic acid is widely distributed in food. Whole grains, eggs, dairy, meat, legumes, mushrooms, avocado and broccoli all contribute. Around 50% of dietary B5 is absorbed.^[1] Heavy alcohol use lowers absorption. Restrictive diets, prolonged dieting and gut conditions that affect nutrient uptake can also reduce status over time.^[1]

The science on women's health

Energy and cellular metabolism

The B5 evidence base is smaller than the one for B12, folate or B6. The role of pantothenate in coenzyme A synthesis is well established at the biochemical level. A 2022 paper in Nature mapped how growth factor signalling pulls vitamin B5 into the coenzyme A synthesis pathway, confirming B5 supply as the rate-limiting step for cells building new acetyl-CoA. This is the molecule that feeds the citric acid cycle, where most of the energy your cells generate is produced.^[4]

Any cell expanding its workload depends on adequate B5 to keep coenzyme A levels matched to demand. Symptomatic deficiency is rare. When it does occur it produces fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbance and numbness in the hands and feet.^[1]

Hormones, skin and tissue repair

Coenzyme A is the carrier molecule for the building blocks of cholesterol, the precursor your body uses to make all the steroid hormones, including oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol. The EU authorised health claim covering B5 and steroid hormone synthesis rests on this biochemistry rather than on direct supplementation trials in healthy women.^[2]

The strongest applied evidence for B5 sits in skin and tissue repair. A 2020 review in Dermatology summarised the research on dexpanthenol in wound healing and barrier function. Topical panthenol speeds re-epithelialisation, supports skin hydration and reduces inflammation in minor wounds and irritated skin.^[5] A 2023 review in the European Journal of Immunology mapped how B5 availability shapes immune cell function and tissue repair through coenzyme A, providing the mechanistic backbone for these clinical observations.^[3]

B5 is one of the less-studied B vitamins in dedicated women's health research. It is included in nōuxx Cycle Routine because the biochemistry is settled and because it feeds pathways that other ingredients in the formula also rely on.

EU authorised health claims

Under EU law, pantothenic acid is officially authorised to carry the following health claims:

• Pantothenic acid contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism
• Pantothenic acid contributes to normal mental performance
• 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^[2]

References

[1] National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Pantothenic Acid: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/PantothenicAcid-HealthProfessional

[2] Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods. Official Journal of the European Union, 25 May 2012. eur-lex.europa.eu

[3] Miallot R, Millet V, Galland F, Naquet P. The vitamin B5/coenzyme A axis: a target for immunomodulation? European Journal of Immunology 2023;53(10):e2350435. doi.org/10.1002/eji.202350435

[4] Dibble CC, Barritt SA, Perry GE, et al. PI3K drives the de novo synthesis of coenzyme A from vitamin B5. Nature 2022;608(7921):192-198. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04984-8

[5] Baron JM, Glatz M, Proksch E. Optimal support of wound healing: new insights. Dermatology 2020;236(6):593-600. doi.org/10.1159/000505291