Nails - nutritional deficiencies & symptoms

Don't give up your healthy eating habits just because you've grown up and become "big and strong." Healthy eating habits should be practiced in all aspects of life, no matter how old you are. Your overall health, energy level and even your appearance depend on the nutrition you get through your diet or from your supplements. What you eat affects everything from your hair to your skin - to your nail health. Take a look at your nails – are they smooth and perfectly rounded with a healthy pink glow? If you want healthy nails, you need to nourish yourself from the inside out, either from the food you eat or from supplements.

Your fingernails and toenails are made of keratin, a strong protein that is also found in your hair and skin. Your nails are structurally made up of a number of components. First comes the nail plate, which is the visible part of the nail that you see when you look at your fingers or toes. Below that is the nail bed, which is a layer of delicate skin that is anchored to your nail plate. On all three sides of the nail are nail folds, which simply refer to the skin that surrounds and "folds" into the nails. Within the nail plate are the cuticle and the lunula, the former being tissue connected to the nail fold and the nail plate, and the latter being the whitish, crescent-shaped area found at the base of the nail. Your nails grow from under the cuticle in a place called the 'matrix', and average just 0.1 millimeters of growth a day.

Nails and nutritional deficiencies

If you have a vitamin, mineral, and/or protein deficiency, it can cause symptoms such as dry, cracked, brittle and irregularly shaped nails, to name a few symptoms of nutritional deficiencies. Here, we have collected the most common nutritional deficiencies that can lead to poor quality nails.

Which collagen is best for nails?

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Which food supplement is best for strong nails?

Collagen together with certain vitamins and minerals, for example silicon and zinc, contribute to strong and healthy nails.

Do you have brittle nails that split, crack and break easily? Then you should take the food supplement COLLAGEN - SKIN & HAIR COMPLEX™ , a unique mixture with the collagen peptide VERISOL®, hyaluronic acid, silicon, niacin (B3), biotin (B7), zinc, copper and vitamin C for optimal effect.

Is keratin important for nails?

Your fingernails and toenails are made of keratin, a strong protein that is also found in your hair and skin.

Your nails are structurally made up of a number of components. First comes the nail plate, which is the visible part of the nail that you see when you look at your fingers or toes. Below that is the nail bed, which is a layer of delicate skin that is anchored to your nail plate. On all three sides of the nail are nail folds, which simply refer to the skin that surrounds and "folds" into the nails. Within the nail plate are the cuticle and the lunula, the former being tissue connected to the nail fold and the nail plate, and the latter being the whitish, crescent-shaped area found at the base of the nail. Your nails grow from under the cuticle in a place called the 'matrix', and average just 0.1 millimeters of growth a day.

Is biotin good for nails?

You can clearly see on your nails if you are deficient in the B vitamin biotin. A lack of biotin , will appear as "ridges" along the nail bed.

Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, coenzyme R and vitamin H; promotes healthy cell growth and aids in the metabolism of protein-building amino acids essential for nail growth. Biotin-rich foods and supplements can help strengthen your brittle nails.

Biotin is most concentrated in offal foods that are alive, but can also be found in egg yolks, dairy products, yeast, salmon, avocados, sweet potatoes, nuts, seeds, and even cauliflower.

Why are collagen and vitamin C good for nails?

Vitamin C is important for the production of collagen, a protein that gives shape, strength and integrity to many tissues and is the building block of nails, hair, skin and teeth. A lack of vitamin C can result in brittle nails, as well as slow nail growth.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient and cannot be produced by your body, but must be supplied through the diet or as a supplement every day.

While citrus fruits such as oranges, strawberries and kiwi are considered the best sources of vitamin C, bell peppers, green vegetables and tomatoes are also very high in this nutrient.

In fact, red peppers have more than twice as much vitamin C as an orange. You can buy dietary supplements with collagen and vitamin C here.

Are keratin and collagen good for nails and hair?

A lack of keratin and collagen can affect both hair and nails, causing them to be of poorer quality.

The nails, and also your skin and hair are made up of proteins such as elastin, collagen and keratin . When your body can't make these proteins, it can result in brittle or thinning hair, dry and flaky skin, and deep ridges on the nails. Keratin is a type of protein that forms the cells that make up the tissue in nails and other parts of the body. Keratin plays an important role in nail health. It protects the nails from damage by making them strong.

Taking collagen and keratin supplements can increase nail strength by preventing nails from becoming brittle.

Interestingly, the keratin you see is actually dead. Nails are formed from dead cells, which your body sheds as new cells are pushed up from underneath.

Since proteins like keratin and collagen are not that common in the food that many of us eat on a daily basis, it is optimal to ingest these nutrients from nutritional supplements with keratin and collagen, in your daily routine.

Why are silicon and collagen good for nails?

Silicon takes many nutrients to the different parts of the body, namely hair, skin and nails, and thus ensures that these are supplied with all the important minerals necessary for hair and nails to grow optimally, as well as contributing to the skin's vitality.

Your nails are one of the hallmarks of beauty in modern culture. If you are unhappy with the condition of your nails, whether they are brittle, have spots, ridges or are simply not happy with the way they look, then a silicon supplement can be beneficial. As mentioned above, silicon brings all the nutrients to the nails that not only help make them strong, but also feeds the nail bed with all the essential nutrients to promote healthy and strong nails.

Silicon can be of great value when the skin begins to sag, making us look prematurely old. One of the major components of collagen is actually silicon. Since collagen is the connective tissue that makes up most of our skin, it is not difficult to see the importance of adequate silicon levels in our bodies. Having enough collagen will make our skin look soft and young which in turn helps with skin suppleness and provides an increased ability to hydrate.

When collagen is damaged in the skin, and by the way this happens all the time due to damage from free radicals, silicon is required to take care of this by rebuilding and regenerating this connective tissue.

Silicon is an important mineral that counteracts hair loss and it also helps both women and men who suffer from lifeless and thin hair, by thickening the hair and giving each strand more shine. An intake of silicon will definitely help prevent hair thinning, restore vitality to the hair and can even address hair loss.

Can b vitamin deficiency lead to poor quality nails?

A lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid can result in poor quality nails.

A deficiency of vitamin B12 can result in completely blue nails, blue-black pigments with wavy longitudinal dark stripes and brownish pigmentation. Similarly, folate/folic acid , or vitamin B9, is important for nail growth and health by contributing to the formation of red blood cells and the development of new cells. A lack of folate can also make the nails stiff and brittle.

Other B vitamins are also important for nail health.

Vitamin B12 plays a role in iron absorption, as well as the development of red blood cells. Both iron and vitamin B12 are necessary to keep nails strong and healthy.

Folate is found in dark green vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds and avocados. On the other hand, vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy, although it can be fortified in other foods and drinks.

Is vitamin D important for strong nails?

Vitamin D is indirectly important for healthy and strong nails, as the vitamin helps the body absorb calcium from the food we eat - a mineral that is important for strong nails.

Your nails are made of keratin, which is the protein that also makes up your hair, but they also contain calcium. Calcium is a key mineral in maintaining nail hardness and structure, as well as keeping the tissues in the nail bed healthy. Making sure your body gets enough calcium will keep your nails strong and less likely to become dry. However, simply increasing your calcium intake will not solve the problem of brittle nails. You need to make sure you're also getting enough vitamin D, as this helps absorb calcium from the food you eat. So when your body lacks vitamin D, you will likely start to notice that your nails are brittle and weak.

How can you see on the nails if you have an iron deficiency?

Usually the first sign of iron deficiency is brittle nails that chip and crack easily. In later stages of iron deficiency, spoon-shaped nails may occur, which means that the center of the nail sinks in and the edges are raised to give a rounded appearance like a spoon.

Iron makes up the center of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your organs and every cell in your body - including your nails.

Without iron, oxygen is not adequately transported to your cells.

Because oxygen is needed for healthy nails, an iron deficiency or anemia can lead to vertical ridges in the nails or the nails can become concave or "spoon."

Your body absorbs the iron found in animal foods, such as beef, chicken, fish and eggs, better than from vegetables such as dark green leafy vegetables, peanuts, seeds, beans and other fortified foods.

However, eating a food rich in vitamin C along with a plant-based source of iron improves absorption. For example, eating oranges and strawberries together with a spinach salad with beans and seeds improves your iron absorption.

Why is zinc important for nails?

Without enough zinc, nail growth slows down, and nails become brittle and brittle, causing them to crack and cause nail dystrophy.

Nail dystrophy is a crack in the middle of the nail that starts at the back cuticle. If zinc levels in the body are particularly low, a person may lose their nails completely.

Zinc is required for many reactions in the body, including the growth and division of cells.

Nails are made up of a type of cell that grows and divides rapidly. Because of this rapid process, a steady supply of zinc is needed to promote healthy nail growth.

Zinc deficiency can affect the nails in many ways:

• Brittle nails. Brittle nails are thin and break very easily. They can be split horizontally and form layers.
• Cuticle inflammation and paronychia. Paronychia occurs when there is an infection around the nail.
• Degeneration of the nail plate, causing white spots on the nails.
• The cuticle is dead skin that a person can see at the base of the nail. Zinc deficiency can cause the cuticle to become inflamed.
• Beau's lines

Beau's lines are often quite deep ridges in the nail, running from one side of the nail to the other, i.e. not from top to bottom, but parallel to the cuticle. Beau's lines are harmless in themselves, but are often a sign of malnutrition or disease, or an injury to the area if it only affects one or two nails. They develop when there is a disturbance in the area where nail growth begins.

Zinc deficiency is not the only cause of Beau's lines, but it is common. Beau's lines are the most common nail change that appears as a sign of a health problem occurring elsewhere in the body

Other causes of Beau's nails include:

Lack of other essential nutrients

Trauma

• Raynaud's disease
• Muehrcke's lines

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Muehrcke's lines are similar to Beau's lines. Instead of tracks, however, there are double white lines running horizontally across the nails.

• Onychorrhexis

Onychorrhexis causes ridges that run vertically along the nails. The condition increases the brittleness of the nails, which in turn increases the likelihood that the nails will split.

• Leukonychia

Leukonychia appears as white discoloration of the nails. Leukonychia is when the entire nail appears white, but there can also be categories of partial leukonychia.

Animal proteins such as beef, poultry, fish and eggs are rich sources of zinc. But soy, chickpeas, black beans, nuts (such as almonds and cashews) and seeds also contain zinc.

Can you tell by the nails if you are deficient in magnesium?

Vertical ridges in the nails can be a sign of magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium is a mineral involved in over 300 reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, which is required for nail growth.

Whole grain products are a rich source of magnesium. Dark green leafy vegetables, such as quinoa, almonds, cashews, peanuts, edamame and black beans, are also good sources.