SISYPHUS
PUBLICATIONS ONLINE
The Benefits Of
Para-Aminobenzoic Acid (PABA)
Para-aminobenzoic acid, or PABA, is a
relatively little known, but nevertheless important nutrient;
commonly, though not strictly accurately, classified as one of
the B-complex vitamins. The confusion is perhaps
understandable because PABA plays an important role in the
manufacture in the body of one of the most important
B–complex vitamins, folic acid.
The many vital benefits of folic acid have
been well documented, the most important probably being the
prevention of serious birth defects, particularly spina bifida;
as well as protection against stroke, cardiovascular disease and
even certain cancers. Indeed, adequate supplies of folic
acid are regarded as so crucial to health that staple foods such
as bread are routinely enriched with it. But the typical
Western diet is nevertheless believed by many nutritionists to be
severely deficient. PABA’s role in encouraging the
synthesis of the body’s vitamin may therefore be regarded as
sufficient in itself to make it a vital nutrient in its own
right.
But there is far more to para-aminobenzoic
acid than this. The nutrient has also been classified as a
general anti-oxidant, helping counteract the ageing and
degenerative effects of damaging free radical activity; and as an
anti-inflammatory which may be beneficial in the alleviation of
the symptoms of the menopause and osteoarthritis.
The anti-inflammatory properties of PABA
also make it a particular favourite of nutritional practitioners
in combatting malfunctions of the immune system such as
thyroiditis, and a potentially fatal condition known as
scleroderma, in which fibrous tissue grows through the skin,
cutting off the blood supply to the body’s vital organs.
Moderate supplements of PABA were an old,
but now unfashionable, treatment for the skin condition,
vitiligo, in which the skin loses it’s natural pigmentation,
resulting in unsightly and embarrassing blotches. Nutritional
therapists, however, continue to regard and use PABA as an
effective alternative therapy for the condition.
PABA is also believed by some therapists to
have a role in the relief of fatigue; perhaps through its role in
the formation of the red blood cells which are vital for the
transport of oxygen around the body, and to help alleviate
depression.
In the context of skin care, PABA also helps
absorb potentially damaging ultra-violet light and has previously
been used as an ingredient in commercial sunblocks. There
is some evidence, however, that internal supplementation with at
least 1,000 mg of the nutrient may also help prevent sun damage.
For this reason, too, PABA is regarded as cosmetically beneficial
to the appearance in smoothing the skin and reducing wrinkles, as
would any effective proprietary sunscreen.
Another cosmetic benefit claimed for PABA is
that it may restore the colour of grey hair. Sadly,
however, although general vitamin B-complex deficiencies have
indeed been associated with premature greying, there appears to
be little hard evidence that taking extra PABA may reverse this
process.
For the more serious conditions detailed
above, nutritional therapists recommend supplementary doses of
anything between 400 mg and 12 g per day. No significant
side effects have been reported with doses of 15 g or less;
though some gastric upsets have been reported. Doses at
this level, however, are recommended only for conditions for
which the sufferer will almost certainly be receiving
conventional medical treatment and are best not undertaken
without qualified supervision.
For most people, however, the good thing
about PABA is that it is not only readily available from the
foods which comprise a healthily balanced diet, but can also be
manufactured by the body.
So in ordinary circumstances, and if you’re in reasonably
good health, you probably don’t need a separate daily
supplement of PABA. But like all the B complex vitamins,
PABA in any case functions best in the presence of a good supply
of all the others, and so it’s frequently found in
proprietary multi-vitamin preparations. The better quality
ones commonly include around 30-50mg; a small amount to be sure,
but worth having as an insurance policy when you’re aiming
for optimum holistic nutrition, and particularly when you bear in
mind the nutrient’s crucial role in the synthesis of folic
acid.
As always when taking a multi-vitamin,
however, this should be coupled with a comprehensive
multi-mineral supply to ensure the maximum effectiveness of both.
February 2008
More about liquid vitamins and
minerals