Pantothenic acid and its role in the human body

Pantothenic acid - a fairly common in nature vitamin, which is of great importance for the normal functioning of the human body.

Pantothenic acid: a biological characteristic . Vitamin B5 is easily soluble in water, so its excess is eliminated from the body without problems. In addition, it is stable in a neutral environment. But when heated, exposed to acids and alkalis, pantothenic acid loses its properties - this must be taken into account during cooking.

As for its assimilation, it enters the human body in the composition of coenzyme A, which subsequently decomposes and is adsorbed in the small intestine. Thus, vitamin B5 through the gate system of the liver is carried throughout the body. The maximum concentrations of this substance in the body are fixed in the sex glands, kidneys, liver, adrenal glands, heart muscle and brain.

It is also interesting that ethyl alcohol disrupts the metabolism of this vitamin, as a result of which its quantity in tissues decreases significantly.

Pantothenic acid and its functions . The importance of vitamin B5 for an organism is too high to overestimate. As already mentioned, it is an indispensable part of coenzyme A. In turn, this substance is involved in almost all metabolic processes of the body - the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. In addition, pantothenic acid plays an important role in the synthesis of hemoglobin and various hormones. She is also partly responsible for processing medicines.

Pantothenic acid and its sources . The daily requirement of the human body is about 10 - 12 mg. This indicator significantly increases during pregnancy and during lactation - up to 15 - 20 mg.

In fact, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) is found in almost all foods. Still, the main sources are yeast, as well as the brain, liver, kidneys and hearts of animals. In addition, a huge amount of that vitamin enters the body along with eggs, fresh raw vegetables, legumes, dairy products and whole grains.

It should be noted that a small amount of vitamin is synthesized by the microflora of the human intestine, but it is too small to ensure normal functioning.

Insufficiency of pantothenic acid . In fact, the deficit of this vitamin is rarely diagnosed. In most cases, avitaminosis develops only with severe and prolonged starvation.

For example, for the first time the insufficiency of this vitamin was discovered in prisoners of war during the Second World War. The most characteristic sign is a burning sensation and a slight tingling in the palms and feet. In addition, patients complained of constant fatigue, nausea, dizziness, colic. Among the symptoms of avitaminosis can also be identified headache, severe painful spasms in the abdomen, sleep disorders, muscle spasms, impaired coordination.

As for modern studies, volunteers took part in it, then, in the absence of pantothenic acid in the diet for nine weeks, men complained of severe headaches and chronic fatigue.

In fact, avitaminosis of pantothenic acid in its pure form is very rare - much more often it develops in combination with a deficiency of other vitamins.

The risk group includes, above all, people who abuse alcohol. In addition, the level of assimilability of pantothenic acid decreases with age, and also with the development of diabetes mellitus. Similar violations can be noted among people who take hormonal drugs, including some contraceptives.

And although, as a rule, people do not need an additional amount of vitamin, in some cases, the doctor can prescribe the appropriate drugs. In addition, pantothenic acid is a part of all multivitamin medicines.