Pantothenic Acid

Daily Value: 10 milligrams

Good Food Sources: Whole grains, mushrooms, salmon, peanuts

In a world that pops painkillers for hangnails and spreads toxic chemicals on lawns to produce greener grass, pantothenic acid may mean the difference between life and death.

In an ongoing series of laboratory studies, Won O. Song, Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition at Michigan State University in East Lansing, has found that the body uses coenzyme A, a substance containing pantothenic acid, to detoxify many of the harmful man-made compounds found in herbicides, insecticides and drugs.

Until now, pantothenic acid--one of the B vitamins--has been taken for granted, says Dr. Song. "It is very important. It is involved in so many different metabolic pathways, including the conversion of food to energy, the synthesis of important hormones and the body's utilization of body fat and cholesterol," she explains.

Those most likely to be deficient in pantothenic acid are older folks, people with serious drinking problems and people who take cholesterol-lowering drugs, says Dr. Song.

Signs of deficiency, which rarely occurs except with severe B-complex vitamin malnutrition, include the sensation of burning feet, loss of appetite, depression, fatigue, insomnia, vomiting and muscular cramping or weakness.

Using Pantothenic Acid Safely

Pantothenic acid has been taken in a wide range of doses all the way up to 10,000 milligrams a day, with no ill effects reported except an occasional case of diarrhea. The amount of pantothenic acid required to detoxify all of the man-made chemicals to which people are exposed is unknown.

Up to 50 percent of pantothenic acid is destroyed by processing, canning or cooking. That's why the best sources are unprocessed whole grains, fortified or enriched cereals to which the nutrient has been added and