Nutritional status of pantothenic acid in Indian pregnant and nursing women.

Investigations on nutritional status of pantothenic acid were carried out in 57 pregnant women and 24 lactating mothers belonging to the low socio-economic group. Fourteen non-pregnant, non-lactating women from the same group served as controls. Pregnant subjects had blood levels of the vitamin comparable to those of the control group while cord blood contained significantly higher concentrations of patnothenic acid than did the maternal blood. The urinary excretion of the vitamin in pregnant women was comparable to that in the control group. Blood and milk levels of the vitamin in the nursing women were in the reported range.