Brittle nails?

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ChiliPepperLifter
ChiliPepperLifter Posts: 279 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I seen to have developed nails that chip or are brittle at the tips. This is a new phenomenon, and I've never noticed this before. My stats are 5'5", 134ish, eating about 1500 to 1800 cals a day of highly nutritious food. Lost 30 lbs since March. I've calculated my own tdee based on 5 months of logging, weighing, and measuring at 2100, so I know I am cutting at an appropriate pace. I even take a prenatal multivitamin, which is supposed to be great for hair and nails! I don't paint my nails either. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

Replies

  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    Most nail issues such as brittleness are usually due to a lack of moisture, and it's likely not diet-related.

    Get a good cuticle oil and moisturize with it regularly, and make sure you're drinking enough fluids. That is the best thing that you can do for hard, brittle nails.

    Also, keeping them painted may actually help protect your nails from the elements and from breaking. Just oil them up before taking off your polish to keep the remover from drying out your nails.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
    edited August 2015
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    There are a number of medical conditions and deficiencies that cause brittle nails: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003247.htm

    See your doctor.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    There are a number of medical conditions and deficiencies that cause brittle nails: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003247.htm

    See your doctor.

    Consulting your primary care provider is a great idea and I concur. I can also tell you that when I started eating avocado regularly - like 75g a day or so (fit into my 1500 calorie day), my brittle nail and raggedy cuticle issue resolved.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
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    For me, brittle nails were one symptom of hypothyroidism.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I suffered brittle nails after significant weight loss and I credited it to a nutritional deficiency of some kind. Keep in mind that it takes a few weeks for hair loss or brittle nails to exhibit themselves, so it was something you weren't getting a month ago.

    My (doctor) sister insists it's a deficiency of Vitamin A.

    I've been rehabilitating my nails with a nail and cuticle oil, and painting my nails with a nail hardener. That seems to have improved things quite a bit.

    I'm on a pregnancy vitamin, too.
  • ChiliPepperLifter
    ChiliPepperLifter Posts: 279 Member
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    Oy, I did not expect to be advised to see my doctor, I thought it would be much less serious! I will make an appointment. I should not read that list haha, I am just worrying now. Thanks for the responses, I will go over all my micro nutrients as well.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    I think you'd notice other symptoms of hypothyroidism like fatigue and feeling cold all the time before noticing nail brittleness.

    If you're eating that calorie level, it's not likely to be a nutrient deficiency, but it wouldn't hurt to have it checked.

    Moisturizing is likely the culprit, though, especially if you've become more active and are washing your hands more frequently and using hand santizer due to using gym equipment.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    edited August 2015
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    PeachyCarol wrote: »
    I think you'd notice other symptoms of hypothyroidism like fatigue and feeling cold all the time before noticing nail brittleness.

    If you're eating that calorie level, it's not likely to be a nutrient deficiency, but it wouldn't hurt to have it checked.

    Moisturizing is likely the culprit, though, especially if you've become more active and are washing your hands more frequently and using hand santizer due to using gym equipment.

    Agreed.

    OP, I'd start with the moisturizing. Go see the doc if things don't improve or if you start showing other symptoms.

    Call me crazy, but I don't automatically assume the worst.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
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    I had the same symptoms in the winter. I thought it was due to a couple of gel manicures, but stopped getting them and symptoms only got worse. Mine would break down below the nail bed and my fingers would even bleed. I started to increase my protein to 35% of my macros and also am taking biotin which is a good supplement for nails. They are finally a decent length (but not really long like they used to get before I started dieting), but it took the summer for them to get that way.
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
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    I had this as well and it was due to iron depletion without anemia, so I didn't really have any other symptoms. Once I found out with blood testing, my doc recommended supplementation and it fixed them right up.
  • cld111
    cld111 Posts: 300 Member
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    My nails were really brittle too. I just got a multivitamin with Biotin in it, and they were much, much better within 2 days. Although, if you're taking a pre-natal vitamin, I would think that would be enough to resolve the issue. Does it have Biotin?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »
    PeachyCarol wrote: »
    I think you'd notice other symptoms of hypothyroidism like fatigue and feeling cold all the time before noticing nail brittleness.

    If you're eating that calorie level, it's not likely to be a nutrient deficiency, but it wouldn't hurt to have it checked.

    Moisturizing is likely the culprit, though, especially if you've become more active and are washing your hands more frequently and using hand santizer due to using gym equipment.

    Agreed.

    OP, I'd start with the moisturizing. Go see the doc if things don't improve or if you start showing other symptoms.

    Call me crazy, but I don't automatically assume the worst.

    I agree with this.

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