PABA review

• Basics: a non-protein amino acid acting as a cofactor of the vitamin B complex.

• Benefits: important for healthy hair and skin, provides protection against ozone, smoking, and other air pollutants.

• Dosage: 30 to 100 mg daily, three times a day.

• Sources: bran, eggs, kidney, liver, molasses, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, and yogurt.

• Deficiency: PABA deficiency causes fatigue, irritability, depression, nervousness, headache, constipation.

• Overdose: overdoses cause low blood sugar, rash, fever, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Para-Aminobenzoic acid (PABA) deficiency

Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is a compound that is an essential nutrient for microorganisms. PABA helps the body generate important nutrients such as vitamin K, folic acid and thiamine. PABA stimulates intestinal bacteria, enabling them to produce folic acid, assists in the formation of red blood cells which carry oxygen to sensitive brain tissue and to all parts of the body.Para-aminobenzoic acid is water-soluble and is considered unique in that it is a "vitamin within a vitamin," occuring in combination with folic acid. PABA stimulates the intestinal bacteria enabling them to produce folic acid. PABA plays an important role in determining skin health, hair pigmentation and health of the intestine. It also acts as a sunscreen. A deficiency in PABA may cause fatigue, irritability, depression, nervousness, headache, constipation and other digestive disorders. A deficiency of PABA may also lead to depression, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, graying of the hair, irritability, and patchy areas of white skin.