nutritional disorders
Biotin and Pantothenic Acid
Introduction
Biotinacts as a coenzyme for carboxylation reactions essential to fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Adequate intake for adults is 30 mcg/day. Pantothenic acidis widely distributed in foods; it is an essential component of coenzyme A. Adults probably require about 5 mg/day. A beneficial role forpantothenic acidsupplementation in lipid metabolism, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or athletic performance remains unproved. Isolated deficiency ofbiotinorpantothenic acidvirtually never occurs. (See also Overview of Vitamins .) 