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Limited evidencePhysical performance

Vitamin B15 (Pangamic Acid)

Pangamic acid is not a vitamin, has no agreed chemical identity, and failed the exercise trials that were run in the early 1980s. Products sold under the name have contained different compounds batch to batch, some raising mutagenicity concerns — this is a debunked category, not an underrated one.

What the science says

  • B15 is a vitamin Limited evidence

    It is not. No deficiency state exists, no requirement has ever been established, and no authority recognizes it as a vitamin. Chemical analyses of commercial 'pangamate' products have found wildly inconsistent contents — variously calcium gluconate with glycine, dimethylglycine, diisopropylamine dichloroacetate, or mixtures — meaning two bottles labeled B15 can contain entirely different substances.

  • Improves endurance and oxygen utilization Limited evidence

    The claim came from Soviet-era sports reports and was tested directly in the West. In a controlled trial of maximal treadmill performance, pangamic acid supplementation produced no improvement in treadmill time or VO2 max versus placebo. Rat exercise studies of commercial preparations similarly found no effect on the metabolic response to exercise.

  • Detoxifies, protects the liver, or treats disease Limited evidence

    Claims that B15 treats heart disease, diabetes, autism, asthma or alcoholism trace to uncontrolled Soviet-era reports and promotional literature, with no modern controlled trials supporting any of them. The FDA treated pangamic acid as an unapproved food additive and took enforcement action against sellers in the late 1970s and 1980s; it has never been approved for any therapeutic use.

Dosage & safety

Studied doseThere is no legitimate dose. Historical products supplied 50–150 mg per tablet, taken up to three times daily, but because the actual chemical content varied by manufacturer, those numbers describe a pill rather than a substance. If what you actually want is dimethylglycine (DMG) — often sold as the 'safe' component — buy it under its own name, where at least the content is defined, though its performance evidence is also unconvincing.
SafetyThe core safety problem is that you cannot know what is in the bottle. Some historical preparations contained diisopropylamine dichloroacetate; dichloroacetate is associated with peripheral neuropathy at therapeutic doses, and dichloroacetate-containing pangamate preparations raised mutagenicity concerns in older testing. The FDA has held that pangamic acid is not a recognized nutrient and that products containing it are misbranded or adulterated; it is not legally marketable as a dietary supplement in the US, though products still appear online. Avoid it — nothing in the claimed benefit profile is unavailable from substances with real evidence.

How to take it

TimingNo schedule is recommended — 'pangamic acid' names a pill, not a defined substance, so you cannot know what you are dosing.
With food?Not applicable.
Worth knowingIf dimethylglycine is what you actually want, buy DMG under its own name, where at least the content is defined — though its performance evidence is unconvincing too.

Frequently asked questions

Is vitamin B15 (pangamic acid) a real vitamin?

No. Pangamic acid has no deficiency state, no established requirement and no recognition by any authority as a vitamin, and 'vitamin B15' products have contained entirely different compounds from bottle to bottle.

Does pangamic acid improve endurance?

No. In a controlled trial of maximal treadmill performance, pangamic acid produced no improvement in treadmill time or VO2 max versus placebo, and rat studies of commercial preparations also found no effect. The endurance claim comes from Soviet-era sports reports, and the evidence is limited and negative.

Is vitamin B15 safe to take?

Avoid it: you cannot know what is in a 'vitamin B15' bottle, and some historical preparations contained diisopropylamine dichloroacetate, which raised mutagenicity concerns and is linked to peripheral neuropathy. The FDA treats pangamic acid products as misbranded or adulterated, and there is no legitimate dose.

Should I take DMG instead of vitamin B15?

If dimethylglycine (DMG) is what you want from a vitamin B15 product, buy DMG under its own name so the content is at least defined. DMG's own performance evidence is unconvincing, though.

Scientific references

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