Vitamin B5 Studied for Lipid Balancing

Pantethine supports healthy lipid balancing, a new study reports. Pantethine is the biologically active form of pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5.

In this randomized, triple-blinded clinical study, 120 subjects were instructed on therapeutic lifestyle changes, including diet, to support cardiovascular health. After 4 weeks of lifestyle intervention, the subjects were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or pantethine at a dose of 600 mg per day for the first 8 weeks and 900 mg per day for weeks 9-16. The subjects were instructed to continue with the dietary interventions for the 16-week supplementation period. At the beginning of the study and again after 16 weeks, the subjects were evaluated for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL, “bad”) cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B, which is a lipid-protein compound that transports LDL cholesterol to the tissues.

The study found that while the subjects maintained the lifestyle changes, the addition of pantethine significantly balanced lipids, showing a change in total cholesterol by 3 percent, LDL cholesterol by 4 percent, and apolipoprotein B by 5 percent. The lipids were balanced by an average of 4-6 mg/dL.

The researchers concluded that pantethine supplementation for 16 weeks is safe and significantly modulated total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B over and above the effect of therapeutic lifestyle changes alone.

Reference:

Rumberger JA, Napolitano J, Azumano I, Kamiya T, Evans M. Pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B(5) used as a nutritional supplement, favorably alters low-density lipoprotein cholesterol metabolism in low- to moderate-cardiovascular risk North American subjects: a triple-blinded placebo and diet-controlled investigation. Nutr Res. 2011 Aug;31(8):608-15.