Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

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Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

Vitamin B5, or Pantothenic Acid, is an essential vitamin required by the body for producing energy from carbohydrates and fats, creating certain neurotransmitters and hormones, and making red blood cells. (1)

A deficiency of vitamin B5 is rare, but may increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease. (1,2)

Vitamin B5 is a water-soluble vitamin. This makes it easy for the body to eliminate any excess, so overdose is rare. In general, it will only cause minor symptoms, like diarrhea or other digestive disturbances. (3,4)

Foods high in vitamin B5 include mushrooms, fish, avocados, eggs, lean chicken, beef, pork, sunflower seeds, milk, sweet potatoes, and lentils. The current daily value (DV) for Pantothenic Acid (vitamin B5) is 5mg. (5)

Below is a list of high vitamin B5 foods ranked by a common serving size. See the nutrient ranking of all foods high in vitamin B5 to sort by 100 gram serving sizes.

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Printable list of foods high in pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)

Pantothenic Acid (B5) Requirements By Age and Gender

The adequate intakes (AI) for pantothenic acid (B5) range from 1.7mg to 7mg per day. The daily value for vitamin B5 is 5mg per day. (5)

Life StageAI
Infants
0-6 months old1.7mg
7-12 months old1.8mg
Children
1-3 years old2mg
4-8 years old3mg
Males
9-13 years old4mg
14-18 years old5mg
19-50 years old5mg
50+ years old5mg
Females
9-13 years old4mg
14-18 years old5mg
19-50 years old5mg
50+ years old5mg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old6mg
18+ years old6mg
Lactation
14-18 years old7mg
18+ years old7mg
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Pantothenic Acid.

Other Vitamin B Foods

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that\'s found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It\'s more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Institutes of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

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Data Sources and References

  1. Pantothenic acid in health and disease
  2. Ismail N, Kureishy N, Church SJ, Scholefield M, Unwin RD, Xu J, Patassini S, Cooper GJS. Cerebral deficiency of vitamin B5 (d-pantothenic acid; pantothenate) as a potentially-reversible cause of neurodegeneration and dementia in sporadic Alzheimer's disease Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2020 Jan 29;522(1):220-225. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.11.052. Epub 2019 Nov 20. 31759626
  3. Konings EJ; Committee on Food Nutrition. Biochemistry, Water Soluble Vitamins J AOAC Int. 2006 Jan-Feb;89(1):285-8. 16512258
  4. Xu J, Patassini S, Begley P, Church S, Waldvogel HJ, Faull RLM, Unwin RD, Cooper GJS. Cerebral Vitamin B5 (D-Pantothenic Acid) Deficiency as a Potential Cause of Metabolic Perturbation and Neurodegeneration in Huntington's Disease Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2020 Jun 30;527(3):676-681. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.05.015. Epub 2020 May 4. 32416962
  5. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
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