Pantothenic acid and Biotin

Pantothenic acid

This B vitamin helps to release energy from food and is found in lots of different foods, like chicken, beef, potatoes, oats, tomato products, liver*, kidney, yeast, eggs, broccoli and wholegrains.

Deficiency is so rare in this country, even among pregnant or breastfeeding women who often have higher needs, that no recommended intake has been set.

You should be able to get all the pantothenic acid you need by eating a varied and balanced diet but if you do take supplements, the Food Standards Agency recommends a maximum of 200mg a day.

Biotin

Similarly to other B vitamins, biotin is needed to help turn food into energy.

You should be able to get all the biotin you need from your daily diet but if you do take supplements the Food Standards Agency recommends a maximum of 0.9mg a day.

Biotin is found in very small amounts in lots of different foods. Foods relatively rich in biotin include eggs, liver*, kidney, cheese, some soya products and some vegetables.

You only need very small amounts of this vitamin – between 0.01mg and 0.2mg a day (0.01mg = 10 micrograms).

You'll get around 5 micrograms from eating half a can of baked beans, over 6 micrograms from a portion of mushrooms or 16 micrograms from one boiled egg.

*Pregnant women should avoid eating liver because it contains high amounts of vitamin A.