Pantethine lowers cholesterol and other lipid levels. Research indicates that pantethine supplements are helpful in reducing total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels while at the same time raising the good HDL cholesterol in the body.[3] High levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) - the "bad cholesterol" - is a major contributing factor of heart disease. The cholesterol forms plaque in the heart's blood vessels, which restricts or blocks the supply of blood to the heart, and causes a condition called atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of fatty substances in the inner layers of the arteries. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that Everyone age 20 and older should have their cholesterol measured at least once every 5 years. It is best to have a blood test called a "lipoprotein profile" to find out your cholesterol numbers.

Pantethine may be a good cholesterol-lowering alternative for people with diabetes, who cannot take niacin due to the potential side effects on blood sugar regulation.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that 90 million American adults, roughly half the adult population, have elevated cholesterol levels.[4] Doctors who conducted another study in Italy tested the effectiveness of pantethine in treating high cholesterol in women. After 16 weeks of treatment, significant reductions of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio could be observed. The authors of the study recommended that pantethine should be considered in the long-term treatment of high cholesterol occurring in the perimenopausal age.[5]

Atherosclerosis caused by high cholesterol levels can lead to damage to the heart and possibly death. Key risk factors, which can be genetic and/or environmental, include: elevated levels of cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood, high blood pressure and cigarette smoke. Atherosclerosis shows no symptoms until a complication occurs.

Pantethine may lower triglyceride levels. Studies in the effect of pantethine on triglycerides indicate that a daily dose of pantethine is more effective than daily doses of pantothenic acid or cystamine in lowering triglyceride levels.[6] Triglycerides are one of the forms of fat stored by the body and used for energy and new cell formation. The break down of fats in the liver can be disrupted by alcoholism, malnutrition, pregnancy, or poisoning. In fatty liver, large droplets of fat, containing mostly triglycerides, collect within cells of the liver.

Pantethine may improve symptoms associated with having a fatty liver. Also called steatosis, fatty liver can be a temporary or long-term condition. Left untreated, steatosis can contribute to other illnesses. The liver is the organ responsible for changing fats eaten in the diet to types of fat that can be stored and used by the body. In a study conducted in Japan, 600 mg/day of pantethine was administered to 16 outpatients with fatty liver and hypertriglyceridemia for six months or longer to examine whether the drug improved fatty liver using abdominal plain computed tomography (CT). Nine of the 16-pantethine patients were no longer diagnosed as having fatty liver after the study period.[7]

Pantethine has been shown to enhance cognitive abilities. In rats that received daily injections of pantethine, the drug facilitated the learning process and activity level of the animals. Pantethine performed much better than Cysteamine, which only slightly increased the locomotion and rearing and did not influence the shuttle box learning.[8] Other studies have confirmed that pantethine is beneficial to brain function.[9]

Other possible uses: Pantethine may help rheumatoid arthritis One very small study indicated that large daily doses of pantothenic acid were helpful to relieve symptoms of rheumatioid arthritis.[10] Consult a healthcare provider regarding use of supplements for this purpose. Pantethine has also been used successfully by some doctors for patients who experience heart burn, ulcers and candida infections and has been used with some success in the management of certain allergies.[11] Experiments with rats have shown that a deficiency of pantothenic acid can cause hair to turn gray and fall out. Neither oral nor topical use of any form of pantothenic acid has been shown to prevent or treat gray hair or balding in humans. Some skin care products contain another form of pantothenic acid, called panthoderm, which may be helpful in treatment of minor skin injuries. It has also been said to have certain anti-aging properties. More research needs to be done to further substantiate these claims.