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Check pantothenic acid (B5) intake vs AI — see mg/day, % of AI and food sources.
Check pantothenic acid (B5) intake vs AI — see mg/day, % of AI and food sources.
Enter values above and click Calculate — results will appear here with the formula explained.
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is the backbone of coenzyme A, the carrier that moves fatty acids into energy production and builds steroid hormones, neurotransmitters and hemoglobin. The Adequate Intake is 5 mg daily for adults 19+ (6 mg pregnancy, 7 mg lactation) — set from observed healthy intakes since dose-response data is insufficient for an RDA. This calculator checks your estimated intake as percent of AI.
B5 hides in nearly everything: chicken, beef, potatoes, oats, eggs, mushrooms, avocados, broccoli and whole grains all contribute, which is why deficiency is functionally nonexistent outside severe malnutrition. Average intakes run 4–7 mg daily — the AI sits inside normal eating, not above it.
Deficiency ('burning feet syndrome' in historical prisoner studies) produces fatigue, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, numbness and hypoglycemia — but requires near-total deprivation to manifest. No modern case series exists in free-living populations; if B5 is low, the whole diet is inadequate, and fixing protein and calories fixes B5 automatically.
Excess risk is negligible: no Tolerable Upper Intake Level is set because even gram-level supplement doses show little toxicity beyond occasional diarrhea. B5 is water-soluble with rapid renal clearance. Megadoses offer no documented benefit — the 'anti-stress' marketing around pantethine and royal jelly extrapolates from coenzyme biochemistry, not outcomes.
Cooking and processing losses are modest (20–30% into cooking water for boiled foods; freezing and canning similar). Eating varied whole foods — a chicken breast (~1 mg), potato (~0.6 mg), egg (~0.7 mg) and oats (~0.4 mg per serving) — comfortably clears 5 mg before counting anything else.
Special situations: pregnancy and lactation raise AI to 6–7 mg (covered by prenatal vitamins and diet); alcoholism impairs absorption alongside other B vitamins; and biotin deficiency can masquerade since both cause dermatitis and fatigue. This is general information — persistent fatigue deserves workup, not B5 megadoses.
Check pantothenic acid (B5) intake vs AI — see mg/day, % of AI and food sources. Formula: AI: 5mg 19+. Example: With 6 mg intake: 120% of the 5 mg AI — adequate.
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is the backbone of coenzyme A, the carrier that moves fatty acids into energy production and builds steroid hormones, neurotransmitters and hemoglobin. The Adequate Intake is 5 mg daily for adults 19+ (6 mg pregnancy, 7 mg lactation) — set from observed healthy intakes since dose-response data is insufficient for an RDA. This calculator checks your estimated intake as percent of AI.
B5 hides in nearly everything: chicken, beef, potatoes, oats, eggs, mushrooms, avocados, broccoli and whole grains all contribute, which is why deficiency is functionally nonexistent outside severe malnutrition. Average intakes run 4–7 mg daily — the AI sits inside normal eating, not above it.
Deficiency ('burning feet syndrome' in historical prisoner studies) produces fatigue, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, numbness and hypoglycemia — but requires near-total deprivation to manifest. No modern case series exists in free-living populations; if B5 is low, the whole diet is inadequate, and fixing protein and calories fixes B5 automatically.
Excess risk is negligible: no Tolerable Upper Intake Level is set because even gram-level supplement doses show little toxicity beyond occasional diarrhea. B5 is water-soluble with rapid renal clearance. Megadoses offer no documented benefit — the 'anti-stress' marketing around pantethine and royal jelly extrapolates from coenzyme biochemistry, not outcomes.
Cooking and processing losses are modest (20–30% into cooking water for boiled foods; freezing and canning similar). Eating varied whole foods — a chicken breast (~1 mg), potato (~0.6 mg), egg (~0.7 mg) and oats (~0.4 mg per serving) — comfortably clears 5 mg before counting anything else.
Special situations: pregnancy and lactation raise AI to 6–7 mg (covered by prenatal vitamins and diet); alcoholism impairs absorption alongside other B vitamins; and biotin deficiency can masquerade since both cause dermatitis and fatigue. This is general information — persistent fatigue deserves workup, not B5 megadoses.
With 6 mg intake: 120% of the 5 mg AI — adequate. A day with chicken breast (1 mg), potato (0.6 mg), egg (0.7 mg), oats (0.4 mg) plus incidentals totals ~5–6 mg without any planning.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Report an error