what is Pantothenic Acid
Pantothenic acid
Pantothenic acid is an organic acid that serves many physiological functions in the form of coenzyme A. Long standing evidence shows that there is a relation between adrenal cortical function and pantothenic acid. Recent studies confirm the fact that the vitamin has a more specific role in the biosynthesis of corticosteroids.
Pantothenic acid remains stable for long time in the food stuffs and little is destroyed even after cooking. The vitamin gets readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and remains concentrated in the liver, kidneys and the heart. Normally 18 to 35 mg of pantothenic acid per 100 ml of blood is present in the human body and about 3 mg of it is excreted through the urine daily.
Dietary sources
A wide variety of foods contain pantothenic acid. Yeast, wheat, cereals, peanuts, liver and milk have excellent quantity of the vitamin in them.
Deficiency disorders
The deficiency of pantothenic acid hampers various fundamental biological reactions. A diet deficient of this vitamin may cause fatigue, malaise, nausea, headache, somnolence, occasional vomiting, abdominal cramps and flatulence. Pantothenic acid along with other vitamins of vitamin B complex are used therapeutically and as nutritional supplements in post operative measures, rheumatoid arthritis and in various skin lesions like burns, wounds, ulcers.
Daily allowance
The daily requirement of pantothenic acid has been estimated as 10 mg.