Vitamin B5 derivative may significantly reduce cholesterol

In a statin-eligible population with low to moderate risk of cardiovascular disease, a vitamin B5 derivative known as pantethine has been shown to reduce total cholesterol by 6% and LDL cholesterol by 11%.

In a study published in February 2014 in Vascular Health and Risk Management, researchers randomly assigned 32 people to receive either 600mg a day of pantethine for 8 weeks and 900mg a day for the following 8 weeks, or a placebo. All of the subjects were eligible for statin therapy according to National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines. Each participant also followed the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change diet throughout the study.

At the end of the study, researchers found that the pantethine group had an 11% decrease in LDL cholesterol at weeks 4, 8, 12 and 16, whereas the placebo group had a 3% increase at week 16.

Compared with the placebo group, the pantethine group also had a significant decrease (6%) in total cholesterol at 16 weeks.

Homocysteine levels didn’t change significantly in either group, while coenzyme Q10 levels in both groups significantly increased from baseline to week 4 and remained elevated through week 16. Statin therapy, by contrast, is associated with depleted CoQ10 levels.

Researchers postulated that pantethine may inhibit the enzymes involved in lipoprotein metabolism, or may reduce lipids by affecting beneficial bacteria in the gut. It could also impact heart health by increasing blood flow and gut motility.

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