Your nails are more important than you think. The biological purpose of nails is to serve as the protective layer of your fingertips. Since your fingertips contain about 50 nerve endings, they’re highly sensitive, and your nails regulate how your fingers feel sensations the moment you touch a specific surface.
Albeit small, the health of your fingernails is as important as the health of other parts of your body. Bleeding, swelling, or redness around the nails, for example, clearly indicates that something is wrong, or it can affect how your whole hand functions.
To keep them healthy, consume the following vitamins for better nails:
- Calcium
When it comes to stronger and healthier nails, adding more calcium to your diet should be on top of your to-do list. Calcium serves as a building block in maintaining the structure and hardness of your nails. Calcium is also responsible for keeping all the tissues in and around your nail bed healthy.
By taking calcium supplements, along with consuming foods rich in calcium such as milk, nuts, and soya beans, you can ensure that your nails will become stronger and less susceptible to dryness. A calcium-rich diet will decrease your chances of experiencing splitting nails, too.
- Protein
Your nails are made from proteins called keratin. This protein is necessary for your nails to be strong and resilient. By incorporating protein-rich vitamins and foods into your diet, you can guarantee that your nails can grow healthily and won’t be susceptible to damage.
Protein works by boosting the keratin production in your body, resulting in stronger nails. When your diet lacks protein, your nails can become weak, in which they could suffer from cracks and brittleness often.
- Vitamin C
Nails might look like simple body parts, but in actuality, it requires a lot of nutrients to serve its purpose of protecting your fingernails. For you to finally achieve healthier nails, look for vitamins and foods that contain vitamin C as this nutrient gives integrity, shape, and strength to your nails.
Vitamin C can be considered a building block to healthy and strong nails as it boosts collagen production in the body. When you have enough collagen, the cells in your nails are healthy, allowing it to grow faster.
- Iron
Nail abnormalities are common symptoms of iron deficiency. Seeing brittle nails that eventually crack and chip can be a telltale sign that your body lacks iron. Leaving this problem unaddressed can result to spoon-shaped nails, a medical condition often called as koilonychia. This condition can cause your nails to scoop out, similar to how a spoon looks.
You can steer away from this direction by taking vitamins rich in iron. Iron can boost how your red blood cells carry oxygen to your nails. With iron deficiency, your body’s ability to carry oxygen into the cells of your nails will be adversely affected.
- Vitamin B12
Healthy nails are manifested by having pink nail plates and white nails. Aside from the color, healthy nails are also determined through its texture—it should be smooth and free from grooves and pits. So if your nails are blue in color or have bluish-black pigment, it’s a clear sign that you have unhealthy nails. Nail discoloration is usually caused by vitamin B12 deficiency.
Vitamin B12 is vital for your nail health as it boosts your body’s ability to absorb and circulate iron. This vitamin is also responsible for the development of red blood cells in the body.
To prevent symptoms associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, take vitamins that contain at least 2.4mcg of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 can also be found in animal foods such as fish and meat, eggs, and dairy, so adding these to your diet can also help.
- Magnesium
Over 300 reactions in your body are dependent on the amount of magnesium you consume. This mineral can boost all of your bodily functions—and your ability to produce and regulate protein is just one of them.
Seeing any vertical ridges can indicate that your body lacks a sufficient amount of magnesium. Aside from its contribution to protein synthesis, magnesium can also prevent brittle nails.
Talk To Your Doctor
Taking vitamins is necessary, especially if your body lacks certain nutrients. However, before taking any, it’s best if you consult your doctor first. Although vitamins are generally healthy, you need to consider your current health condition to determine which vitamins work best for you.
Never consume anything unless your doctor says so as this can only result in health risks and complications.
