Information for Pantethine

In the body, pantethine is a naturally occurring substance, which is a byproduct of pantothenic acid (also known as Vitamin B5). As one of the B complex vitamins, pantothenic acid is water soluble; hence, it has no risk of toxicity.

Benefits

• Pantethine has been shown to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. It also reduces triglycerides and doesn't share the bad side effects of synthetic drugs for the same conditions, while contributing to a healthy heart. It is an approved pharmaceutical agent in Japan, where it has been used for 30 years to increase HDL cholesterol. Unlike niacin, which is another B complex vitamin used to increase good cholesterol, pantethine will not affect blood sugar--a consideration for people with diabetes.

Other Uses

• One small study indicated that large amounts of pantothenic acid relieved symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Doctors have also reported success using pantethine to treat heartburn, candida infections and ulcers. Pantethine has also been shown to improve fatty liver. In another small Japanese study of 16 patients, treatment with pantethine eliminated fatty liver in nine of these patients after six months.

Sources of Pantethine

• Vegetables, grains, meat, dairy, liver, eggs and salmon are good sources of pantethine. Pantothenic acid and pantethine are also available as oral supplements.

Dosage

• Since pantethine is considered a nutritional supplement, no standard dosage has been established; however, most people find 300 mg three times per day satisfactory.