What Can Your Nails Tell You?

The look and feel of your nails can often be a big indicator of your overall health.  Nails exist to protect the nerve-rich fingertips.  They act as a substructure o the epidermis and they are made from a type of protein called keratin.  The nail bed is the skin on top of which the nails grow.  If a full nail is lost, it can take approximately seven months to grow out fully.

Nutritionists can identity a variety of nutritional deficiencies and disorders simply by looking at the nails.  Some of these include: a lack of protein, folic acid, and vitamin C.  This generally is in evidence when for instance a person has a lot of hangnails.  So too are these vitamins seen to be lacking if you have white bands across the nails.

A lack of calcium and vitamin A shows up in the nails as brittleness and dryness.  A B vitamin deficiency can alternatively cause fragility as well as horizontal and vertical ridges in the nails.  Insufficient B 12 especially can lead to excessive dryness and extremely curved or rounded nails ends, as well as a darkened look to the nails.

A zinc deficiency shows up as white spots on the nails.  A lack of iron might result in ‘spoon’ nails, meaning nails that develop a concave shape or that have vertical ridges.  A lack of friendly bacteria (lactobacilli) might also be seen as a an overgrowth of fungus in the nails.  A lack of hydrochloric acid (HCI) contributes to nail splitting.

Nails can as such tell you if you have any underlying deficiency that should be looked into.  Aside from these nutritional deficiencies however there are a number of other problems that the health of your nails can warn you of.  These can include anything from heart infection to thyroid disorders, anemia to liver disease and fever.  Thus brittle nails might mean thyroid disorder, impaired kidney function or circulatory problems.  White nails might be a sign of liver or kidney disorders or anemia.  Yellow nails can indicate problems with the lymphatic system, respiratory system, diabetes or liver problems.

As you can see the nails are a terrific source of information.  Trained practitioners can often take a look at these signs and tell you if there is something that might be wrong.  If you suspect you might be suffering from an underlying or serious condition, it is always best to consult your healthcare practitioner.  If on the other hand, serious illnesses have been ruled out but you would still like to improve the look and feel of nails, you might want to try to up your vitamin and mineral intake. 

Some vitamins that are helpful for nail health include: vitamin A; calcium and magnesium and vitamin D, Iron, vitamin B complex, Vitamin C and zinc.  All of these vitamins and minerals help to build strong nails and to boost nail health.  Look for the signs of nutritional deficiencies listed above to help you find out what you might be lacking in your diet. 

Poor looking nails can be a sign of other complications or can indicate a lack of nutrients in the diet.  In any case, upping your vitamin and mineral content will help.  Outward signs can be important indicators of imbalances on the inside.  Be sure to take such signs seriously and consult a medical professional if you feel these may be pointing to an underlying condition.