When your body lacks calcium, your nails become thinner, weaker, and brittle. You may notice that they break easily and just don't look as healthy as they used to. Although nails and bones are made up of different substances, they're similar enough that poor nail health may be an early marker of bone density problems.
People with severe calcium deficiencies may develop symptoms that affect the nails first. For example, the nails can become weak, become brittle, and grow more slowly than usual. According to one 2010 paper , nearly all nutritional deficiencies can slow nail growth.
Well, turns out that this commonly believed 'fact' is actually a myth. That is because those white spots on your nail beds are not due to calcium deficiency but because of a zinc deficiency.
Nail plate discoloration can result from several nutritional deficiencies. Research has shown vitamin B12 deficiency to cause brown-gray nail discoloration. White nails can be the result of anemia and pink or red nails may suggest malnutrition with several nutrient and vitamin deficiencies.
When your body lacks calcium, your nails become thinner, weaker, and brittle. You may notice that they break easily and just don't look as healthy as they used to. Although nails and bones are made up of different substances, they're similar enough that poor nail health may be an early marker of bone density problems.
Vitamin D regulates calcium levels in the body which is an essential contributor to having healthy nails. If you find yourself with brittle and weak nails, it could mean a lack of Vitamin D.
- A deficiency in B-complex vitamins, especially biotin, will produce ridges along the nail bed. - A diet lacking in calcium contributes to dry, brittle nails. - A lack of folic acid and vitamin C can lead to hangnails. - Insufficient dietary essential oils, like omega-3, cause cracking.
One of the most common nutrient deficiencies to show up in nails is a zinc deficiency. More prevalent in school-age children, this deficiency can present as scattered white spots. Usually, people can take a zinc supplement for a short amount of time to clear up these white marks.
Calcium, selenium, and zinc deficiencies can make nails look white. These deficiencies cause white nail bands, not just white spots. But in order to develop these nail changes you need to have severe vitamin deficiencies. These deficiencies are extremely rare, especially among people eating a typical U.S. diet.
These are called keratin granulations, which happen because the top layers of the nail cells are removed along with nail polish leaving behind white patches on the nail bed.
Vitamin B12, iron, zinc, or magnesium deficiencies can cause vertical ridges on the nail beds. While vitamins A and C deficiencies can cause nails to crumble or break easily.
Chronic calcium deficiency can result in rickets, osteoporosis, and osteopenia, as well as disruptions in the metabolic rate and normal function of other bodily processes.
Serum calcium is a blood test to measure the amount of calcium in the blood. Serum calcium is usually measured to screen for or monitor bone diseases or calcium-regulation disorders (diseases of the parathyroid gland or kidneys).
2 Nail changes in vitamin B12 deficiency present as hyperpigmentation of nails like bluish discoloration of nails, blue-black pigmentation with dark longitudinal streaks, and longitudinal and reticulate darkened streaks. The nail pigmentation associated with B12 deficiency is more frequent in patients with dark skin.
Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia.
Spoon nails (koilonychia) are soft nails that look scooped out. The depression usually is large enough to hold a drop of liquid. Often, spoon nails are a sign of iron deficiency anemia or a liver condition known as hemochromatosis, in which your body absorbs too much iron from the food you eat.
Vitamin-B12 deficiency can present with glossitis, pigmentary changes of nails, hairs, and skin or more serious features like megaloblastic anemia and neuropsychiatric symptoms. [2] Neuropsychiatric features, though rare, can become irreversible in severe and prolonged deficiency.
Vitamin D. Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium, which maintains healthy bones. If your nails are peeling, brittle, or have vertical ridges, you may be vitamin D deficient.
Vitamin E deficiency can cause nerve and muscle damage that results in loss of feeling in the arms and legs, loss of body movement control, muscle weakness, and vision problems. Another sign of deficiency is a weakened immune system.