What causes dark fingernails?
The most common cause of dark fingernails is a nutritional deficiency, but there are many other causes that can lead to the same condition. The health of your fingernails can be a reflection of your overall health.
Nail health is reflective of diet, nutrition and lifestyle choices:
- A lack of vitamins and minerals (for example, B vitamins) could result in discoloration or weakening of the nails.
- Lack of protein can cause dryness and brittleness.
- Chronic poor circulation can lead to white spots on the nails that look like leukonychia striata or spoon nails. These are often hereditary conditions that affect both men and women equally.
Which vitamin can causes darkening of nails?
According to the National Health Service, vitamin D, B12 and iron deficiency is the most common causes of darkening of the nails. Vitamin D is important for a healthy bone structure. It also plays an important role in calcium absorption. B12 deficiency causes pernicious anaemia which results in low red blood cell count as well as lack of oxygen reaching the cells of your body. Iron helps make haemoglobin which carries oxygen to your organs and tissues through red blood cells.
If you’re suffering from any type of dark discolouration on your nails, it’s best to consult with a doctor or dermatologist before self-diagnosing yourself with vitamin deficiencies or other diseases that could cause the same symptoms
Can low vitamin D affect nails?
Vitamin D deficiency is called hypovitaminosis D, and it can cause a number of problems. One is weak or soft bones, which can lead to rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
When people have dark nails, they often assume that it’s a sign of poor nutrition or anemia. But research has found that low vitamin D levels are associated with dark fingernails—and this could be because vitamin D deficiency causes poor circulation. In fact, it might not just be your fingers; other parts of your body may also show signs of poor circulation if you don’t get enough vitamin D:
- Your lower legs will start feeling cold or tingling when exposed to cold temperatures (this is known as peripheral vascular disease). This condition can become severe enough to cause pain in the leg muscles. The best way to prevent this from happening is by getting more sun exposure during winter months so that your skin produces more vitamin D!
What does dark nails say about your health?
You can have darker nails for a variety of reasons. If you only have one darkened nail, then it may be due to a fungal infection or injury. But if your entire collection of fingernails are dark, this indicates that there is something going on with your body.
Dark Fingernails Vitamin Deficiency: What Does It Mean?
Dark Fingernails Vitamin Deficiency: What Does It Mean? Darkened nails can be due to a variety of causes, but an important thing to note is that this condition is not always caused by one thing in particular. Your doctor will need to know exactly what type of nail discoloration you have and how long it has been around before he or she can make an accurate diagnosis as well as prescribe the correct treatment plan for you. For example, if you notice that your fingernails and/or toenails look blue or purple in coloration without any other symptoms present then this could signify either poor circulation (which can cause blood vessels near the skin surface area) or nerve damage caused by diabetes mellitus amongst other things such as high blood pressure (hypertension), arteriosclerosis etcetera…”
Does B12 deficiency affect nails?
It is a good idea to take supplements to ensure that you are getting adequate amounts of B12. This vitamin deficiency can affect the skin, mouth, and gastrointestinal tract. It may also cause neurological problems like depression and memory loss.
If you do not get enough Vitamin B12 in your diet or through supplementation then it is likely that you will develop anemia. Anemia occurs when there are too few red blood cells in the body leading them to be too small so they cannot carry oxygen throughout the body properly. Because red blood cells carry oxygen throughout our bodies we need an adequate supply of this substance for optimal health. To improve symptoms associated with anemia consider taking supplements containing iron as well as other vitamins like B12 which helps maintain healthy red blood cell production levels within a normal range so that they can transport oxygen effectively throughout your body even though there aren’t enough available yet (due to whatever reason).
Can iron deficiency affect nails?
If you’re experiencing dark fingernails, it could be a sign of anemia. Anemia is caused by iron deficiency and can cause brittle nails and hair loss, fatigue, and depression.
Iron deficiency occurs when your body does not have enough iron to function properly.
If you think that you might be suffering from this vitamin deficiency, there are several things you can do to help prevent further damage to your nails:
If you think that you might be suffering from this vitamin deficiency, there are several things you can do to help prevent further damage to your nails:
If you think that you might be suffering from this vitamin deficiency, there are several things you can do to help prevent further damage to your nails:
- Take an iron supplement. If your doctor recommends it, he or she may prescribe an iron supplement. There are also over-the-counter supplements available at health food stores which should be taken with a meal containing plenty of vitamin C since it helps the body absorb the nutrients in the tablet more effectively.
- Eat more iron-rich foods. Foods rich in iron include red meat and dark leafy greens like kale and spinach (it’s important to eat these foods along with sources of vitamin C).
- Iron supplements can also be taken at any time—they don’t need to be taken with meals or other vitamins/minerals because they contain only one nutrient instead of several different ones like multivitamins do.
- Make sure you get enough vitamin C!
- In addition to eating more fruits and vegetable high in Vitamin C (citrus fruits), try adding broccoli sprouts into your diet as they contain up to 150 times more than store bought varieties.
- Avoid foods that are high in oxalates.