Non-nutritional uses of pantothenic acid

Non-nutritional uses of pantothenic acid

Blood levels of pantothenic acid have been reported to be low in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; some workers have reported apparently beneficial effects of supplementation, but these reports remain uncon-firmed and there are no established pharmacological uses of the vitamin.

Pantothenic acid deficiency in rats leads to a loss of fur color and at one time pantothenic acid was known as the “anti-grey hair factor.” There is no evidence that the normal graying of hair with age is related to pan-tothenic acid nutrition, or that pantothenic acid sup-plements have any effect on hair color. Its use in shampoo is not based on any evidence of efficacy.

Pantothenic acid has very low toxicity; intakes of up to 10 g/day of calcium pantothenate (compared with a normal dietary intake of 2–7 mg/day) have been given for up to 6 weeks with no apparent ill-effects.