Easy to spot the problem!
Whatever we do, we can’t ignore our hands, they are right in front of our faces. While we’re typing an email, when we’re drinking our coffee, or when we want to avoid someone and we start staring at our hands as if we’ve found something really interesting in them. The fun part is sometimes there really is something engaging in our nails. We can’t overlook those white dots, sometimes they seem really weak, or maybe their color has changed. Thus, nail problems are usually diagnosed really fast. We don’t need to be an expert to say that something is wrong with them.
But what is the problem? Why have my nails become so weak lately? Why do they keep breaking?
Like many other incidents, there are numerous reasons for our nails losing their strength. They might be overexposed to chemicals, cold weather, some diseases like hypothyroidism or anemia. Vitamin deficiencies can lead to weak nails too.
What vitamin deficiencies affect my nails?
• B complex vitamins
These vitamins can really improve the quality and strength of our nails. If you look at nails closely, you’ll see that keratin layers are stacked on top of each other. B complex vitamins can be beneficial to them as they react with cell enzymes and produce amino acids. They’re like a shield for those keratins.
• Vitamin C
This vitamin plays a vital role in creating collagen. When there is not enough collagen around, nails won’t be as strong and unbreakable as they have to be.
• Calcium
Our body needs calcium for vascular contraction and vasodilation, muscle function, nerve transmission, intracellular signaling and hormonal secretion. But when there is not enough of it available in our body, the calcium stored in our bones will be consumed instead. One of the very first symptoms of calcium deficiency appears in nails. Lack of calcium results in our nails becoming weak and fragile.
• Folic acid
Folic acid acts like an accelerator that encourages cells to produce faster (not like a tumor though!). Lack of folic acid results in rigid crisp nails.
Takeaway
Clearly there are more minerals and vitamins that will affect our nail health. Taking care of them won’t be a struggle if you find out what is missing. Hence, if you’re not happy with your nails, run some tests, talk to your healthcare provider and start your supplement diet!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579659/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29057689/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/