Acne 'cure' needs more study

Q. Can you tell me anything about using D-calcium pantothenate for clearing up acne? Would it be effective as a cure? I am also concerned with the safety of the required amount. The dosage is a total of 920 milligrams a day.

D.N.B., via e-mail

A. D-calcium pantothenate is a form of pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B-5. It is made up of two molecules of pantothenic acid held together with a molecule of calcium. The calcium represents only a small fraction of the total weight. Before absorption, the calcium and the pantothenic acid go their separate ways.

Pantothenic acid participates in the formation of coenzyme A, a compound involved in energy release from fats and oils, carbohydrate and protein, and for the synthesis of adrenal hormones, cholesterol and other chemicals involved in the nervous system. Pantothenic acid is widely distributed in foods, and deficiencies are very rare. The daily recommended value for adults is 10 milligrams. (Background information on pantothenic acid from the National Library of Medicine can be found at tinyurl.com/6c3poa.)

The first question you pose is whether that hefty dose ˆ­- 92 times the daily value - can cure acne.

Acne is an inflammatory condition that results when the oil ducts below the skin get clogged with sloughed skin cells, oily secretions and bacteria. The theory connecting pantothenic acid with acne is based on the fact that it's an oily substance that clogs pores and give rise to acne. If you take a megadose of pantothenic acid, the body might produce more coenzyme A, and this, in turn, will process the gunk before it has a chance to clog the pores.

It is all quite speculative, and when I checked the scientific literature, there were no clinical studies testing this hypothesis. There was a paper in the June 1995 issue of Medical Hypothesis, a publication that serves as a forum for presenting new ideas. The paper contained little else than a statement of the theory. Interestingly enough, the same author also wrote papers in Medical Hypothesis theorizing that pantothenic acid might also facilitate weight loss (May 1995), and that it is a potential treatment for lupus erythromatosis (June 2004). Again, these are theories without any proof.

I also found an article in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine (2nd Quarter, 1997). Again, it wasn't a study, only a couple of paragraphs mentioning how 100 patients of Chinese descent were given 10 grams a day of pantothenic acid along with an external cream that also contained pantothenic acid. The article states that even more pantothenic acid might be needed, perhaps 15 to 20 grams per day. (That's 2,000 times the Daily Value!). It was written by the same person who wrote the articles in Medical Hypothesis. No one else has published anything on the theory, and there are no studies to look at.

Proof requires more than idle conjecture. There would be great interest if taking mega amounts of pantothenic acid for acne were the real deal. The bottom line is that we have only products and a bunch of Web sites with self-serving testimonials promoting this illogical and speculative theory.

Can this much pantothenic acid be harmful? Large amounts may cause gastric distress and diarrhea. When taking this amount, the pantothenic acid is acting like a drug, not a nutrient, so it's difficult to say how a body will react or whether there will be any long-term effects.

Ed Blonz, Ph.D., is the author of the "Your Personal Nutritionist" series. Send questions to: On Nutrition, Ed Blonz, c/o Newspaper Enterprise Association, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016 or ed@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.