You might have heard that prenatal vitamins can benefit you in a variety of ways, including helping your fingernails to grow faster or stronger. The reason this is a common belief is that many of the women on prenatal vitamins have fast-growing, strong nails; however, this isn't an effect of the vitamins -- pregnancy hormones increase nail growth.
Pregnancy Hormones
During pregnancy, your body starts producing hormones in much higher levels than it does at any other time. These hormones have a number of effects on your body, including increasing blood volume and circulation to the skin. As your skin gets more blood and nutrients, skin accessory organs -- including nails -- grow much faster and stronger than they do at other times.
Prenatal Vitamins
Most pregnant women take prenatal vitamins, either on their own or on the advice of their obstetrician. These vitamins help to ensure proper nutrition for both mother and baby. They contain many of the vitamins and minerals in a regular daily multivitamin, plus especially large amounts of iron and folic acid, explain Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book "You: Having A Baby." The iron helps you produce extra red blood cells, while the folic acid contributes to fetal brain development.
Prenatal Guidelines
In general, you probably shouldn't be taking a prenatal vitamin unless you're pregnant. Not only won't the vitamins help with nail growth, you don't need the high levels of iron and folic acid. Katherine Zeratsky, a dietitian, notes on MayoClinic.com that prenatal vitamins probably won't hurt you if you're healthy, but that they're very expensive and won't do you any particular good either. It's best to take a supplement for non-pregnant women if you're looking for extra vitamins in your diet.
Nail Health
Your nails are affected by nutrition, and if you're nutrient deficient, your nails can weaken and grow more slowly. However, as long as you're getting proper nutrition, your nails will grow without trouble, but consuming higher levels of vitamins than you need to maintain health can't speed their growth rate. As such, you can't expect to experience faster nail growth or hope to grow stronger nails simply because you start taking prenatal vitamins. They can't do anything for you that a healthy diet, or a regular daily multivitamin, won't do.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Prenatals
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