White spots on nails?

Question

I have a lot of white spots on my nails on both hands. I am 8 months pregnant and eat a very healthy balanced diet and take prenatal vitamins. I have always had this problem, but sometimes they'll go away or there will just be a few, right now there are a lot. I haven't knocked my nails/fingers on anything, my zinc is fine, and I have dry skin but not eczema. Any ideas?

Answer 1

I've had those since I was a kid. I even always tell my mom, "look mom, there are CLOUDS on my nails!". I'm now 35yo. and still have them. My health is fine in general so I don't think there's anything to worry. Maybe we're just born that way.

Answer 2

may be a calcium deficiency.

Try eating more cheese.

I did read your question, so here is the reason for my answer.

"Unfortunately, many women do not get enough calcium. The average woman gets only about 700 mg every day. Aside from not eating enough calcium-rich foods, many women rely too much on vitamin supplements. Supplements often contain less than one-third of the recommended daily amount of calcium." - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/159_94...

I have done studies on multivitamins in my chemistry lab and know for a fact the vales given are not always accurate. You need vit.D to help absorb calcium, so make sure you are ACTUALLY getting enough.

Supplements are not the answer.

hope we all helped

Answer 3

White spots on your fingernails are a classical symptom of a zinc deficiency and you can find further information in a web search for zinc + fingernails + "white spots".

Apparently you are aware of this as you believe that your zinc level is fine.  Perhaps you are not absorbing enough zinc even though you have a good intake of zinc.  This is possible as zinc interacts with both calcium and magnesium and if you get too much calcium you could absorb calcium preferentially at the expense of zinc and then you could end up deficient in zinc.  This is just one example to demonstrate that your zinc level not only depends on the amount that you ingest but also on the proportion that you actually absorb.  

Soy milk can reduce your zinc absorption by as much as 50% and that is another example.

Bread and cereals can also to some extent hinder the aborption of zinc as they also contain phytic acid and phytates but not as much as soy products.  

Answer 4

Problem you get little white spots under your nails...

Like brittleness, white spots can also be caused by poor nutrition, so make sure you're eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods. White spots can also be a sign of damage to the nail bed caused while cleaning under your nail. Go easy with the nail brush, and don't use any hard objects or a metal file to clean under your nails. The good news about white spots is that they'll eventually grow out.

I hope this helps!

Answer 5

the white spots mean you have a lack in calcium. consider drinking more milk, eating cheese, or consuming things that are rich in calcium. its definately something to worry about, because lack of calcium means you can get very weak and wont be able to do many things.