Help Desperately Needed: Ridged Fingernails!

[julcreutz]

I don't know when this started, but it's bothering me a lot. I have these pretty pronounced vertical ridge-like structures in my fingernails. It was pretty hard to photograph, but I tried my best at it and editing it a bit to make them more easily visible:

It may not look like much, but they are much more visible in the right angle and light.
I don't remember ever having them.

For the last 5 months or so I've had followed a low VA diet as I thought I had issues with VA. I now believe that this low VA caused a lot of my problems. I've been eating large amounts of liver again and a lot has improved.

I thought the ridges might be due to retinol deficiency, so I'm eager to see how my nails change now eating liver again.
Another thing that could also cause it might be calcium, right? I don't have dairy in my diet right now, but eat plenty of sweet potatoes providing a bit of calcium (even though pretty high-oxalate).

Any experience/tips on this? I'm 18 by the way, so it's not aging lol.

 

[Tristan Loscha]

These are not associated with acute disease to my knowledge, you should supplement with Calcium Cabonate or such.

 

[julcreutz]

These are not associated with acute disease to my knowledge, you should supplement with Calcium Cabonate or such.

I don't know, it just feels wrong to have them

 

[Tristan Loscha]

I don't know, it just feels wrong to have them

Look if others also have them. Maybe we did not recognize them as facts?

 

[julcreutz]

Look if others also have them. Maybe we did not recognize them as facts?

I have asked multiple people in my surroundings. No one has them, except my dad, who is 40 years older than me.

 

[Blossom]

I have asked multiple people in my surroundings. No one has them, except my dad, who is 40 years older than me.

How is your metabolism and nutrition?

 

[Summer]

My nails are the same. They’re weak as well. I never went on a restrictive diet before I noticed it so I’m not even sure where to start.

 

[julcreutz]

How is your metabolism and nutrition?

Well, seeing as I'm coming from a ketogenic/carnivore background, I'd say much better. I feel warm again, libido came back and sleep relatively well. Sometimes I have great energy to work out, but some days it's still not so good. I eat plenty of meats and organ meats, sweet potatoes and sometimes fruits. Would like to add back dairy.

 

[julcreutz]

My nails are the same. They’re weak as well. I never went on a restrictive diet before I noticed it so I’m not even sure where to start.

Sorry to hear that! I'd like to get that issue sorted out as well.

 

[davvid_1]

Mine are the same, ive seen before it being related to nutritional deficiencies, low protein or zinc maybe but i don't think thats confirmed. Indeed i eat plenty of both. A forum member posted once about betaine HCL clearing their ridges, so perhaps its to do with absorption of nutrients\poor stomach acid or something of the sort

 

[Blossom]

Well, seeing as I'm coming from a ketogenic/carnivore background, I'd say much better. I feel warm again, libido came back and sleep relatively well. Sometimes I have great energy to work out, but some days it's still not so good. I eat plenty of meats and organ meats, sweet potatoes and sometimes fruits. Would like to add back dairy.

That’s really good. Hopefully as your nails grow out (which I believe takes about 6 months) the ridges will go away.

 

[fathom]

I have those too.

 

[davvid_1]

curious if you have any other symptoms @julcreutz

 

[julcreutz]

curious if you have any other symptoms @julcreutz

Well, much less symptoms than before. Besides the ridged nails, I can't really complain. Skin is smooth and pretty clear most of the time, hair is shiny and smooth. My bowel movements could be improved and I don't always feel on top of the world, like somedays I'm still tired; and I'd like to wake up feeling super refreshed, but I don't.

 

[Peaterpeater]

I have got those same lines on my nails. The less healthy I became the more pronounced they became. I’m hypothyroid, aged 45 and female. My best guess is that it is due to poor digestion, not absorbing nutrients well, possibly lack of HCL, possibly leaky gut. I struggle with eating starches and bloating too. I would like to hear from someone with more knowledge about what this means.

 

[aliciahere]

My understanding is that vertical ridges are pretty normal and not associated with any medical issues. Some people have them, some don’t.

Now horizontal ridges are different. They are related to Stress at a specific point in time, causing the growth pattern to be disrupted.

I have both, vertical and horizontal. I can clearly link back the horizontal ones to stressful points in time: Traveling, being sick, getting contaminated with gluten (I’m celiac), etc....

however as I do have the vertical ridges, I’m also hypothyroid (Hashimotos), so maybe there is a link there.

 

[marcar72]

I have asked multiple people in my surroundings. No one has them, except my dad, who is 40 years older than me.

I've had them since I can remember.

 

[Steven Bussinger]

I think it's anemia or hypothyroidism. I have very slightly visible ridges, and I have always had them. Try comparing yours to other people.

I remember seeing much more pronounced ridges on a girlfriend (she had carotenemia at one point).

The fingernails alone are inconclusive. They are only one point in a constellation of symptoms.

 

[julcreutz]

I think it's anemia or hypothyroidism. I have very slightly visible ridges, and I have always had them. Try comparing yours to other people.

I remember seeing much more pronounced ridges on a girlfriend (she had carotenemia at one point).

The fingernails alone are inconclusive. They are only one point in a constellation of symptoms.

I think it could be hypo, but I highly doubt it's anemia for me. I must say tho, they've been improved over the last few weeks!

 

[IVILA]

Mine are the same, ive seen before it being related to nutritional deficiencies, low protein or zinc maybe but i don't think thats confirmed. Indeed i eat plenty of both. A forum member posted once about betaine HCL clearing their ridges, so perhaps its to do with absorption of nutrients\poor stomach acid or something of the sort

I have them. I think it's due to poor digestion and the inability to fully absorb all the nutrients. This could include a calcium deficiency as well.