At different times and in various sources, the term “vitamin B11” has been used to refer to several different substances. However, in modern science, such a vitamin does not exist.
Below we will examine the main compounds that were mistakenly or historically referred to as vitamin B11 and their actual properties.
What was previously called vitamin B11
The term “vitamin B11” has referred to:
- Folic acid (vitamin B9) — a water-soluble vitamin important for blood formation, DNA synthesis, and the development of the fetal nervous system.
- Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) — a substance involved in the synthesis of folic acid in bacteria but not a vitamin for humans.
- Pangamic acid — a substance popular in alternative medicine, sometimes mistakenly referred to as B15 or B11. Scientifically unrecognized as a vitamin.
The term “vitamin B11” is historically confusing and is not used in modern medicine. Most often, it referred to folic acid, which is officially vitamin B9.