Your fingernails are one of your most visible assets. They say a lot about your health, and are important cosmetically in cultures around the world. The idea of achieving strong, healthy nails with supplemental B complex vitamins began in the 1940s. Although many supplements have been recommended without scientific evidence, there is good news for brittle nail sufferers.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is essential for many of your body's chemical processes. It allows your body to make proteins, and deficiencies of vitamin B6 can cause thin weak nails. In 1981, the British Journal of Dermatology recommended using vitamin B6 for brittle nails, a syndrome affecting approximately 20 percent of people in the United States. Unfortunately, if you are not deficient in vitamin B6, there is no scientific proof that taking pyridoxine will improve brittle nails. (reference 4 page 785)
Vitamin B7
Good news for people with brittle nails came in 1983 when an experiment proved Vitamin B7, sometimes called biotin or vitamin H, strengthened brittle nails. This is true for people with no known vitamin deficiencies. It has long been used successfully in animals to improve hoof strength. Most people who took 2.5 mg of vitamin B7 daily for brittle nails noticed improvement after several months. This is now a well accepted treatment for healthy people with soft or brittle nails.
Silicon
Silicon, not to be confused with silicone, also helps to strengthen brittle nails in healthy people. It is listed as "likely safe" by the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database and is required in small amounts by the human body. According to an article in the "Journal of Drugs in Dermatology" it should be taken as 10 mg of orthosilicic acid daily for 20 weeks.
Healthy Body, Healthy Nails
It is important to remember overall health when treating brittle nails. Damaged nails can be a sign of an illness or nutritional deficiency such as iron deficiency, arthritis or hormone imbalance. Avoiding chemicals such as nail polish removers and harsh detergents is helpful as well. Occupations requiring frequent hand washing will increase your risk of dehydrated, brittle nails.
References
- "Seminars in Dermatology"; Brittle Nails; Richard Scher, et al.; March 1991;
- "Cutis"; Brittle Nails: Response to Daily Biotin Supplementation; Lisa Hochman M.D.,et al.; April 1993
- "Clinics in Dermatology"; Nutrition and Nail Disease; Michael Cashman, et al.; 2010
- "Journal of Drugs in Dermatology"; Vitamins and Minerals:Their Role in Nail Health and Disease; Noah Scheinfeld M.D.,et al.; August 2007
- Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: Biotin
- Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: Silicon
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