Your Nails Might Alert You To A Vitamin B12 Deficit!
Did you know that your body can communicate a vitamin B12 shortage through your nails? Continue reading!
Beautify your nails as much as you want, but keep an eye on them for critical health indicators. According to a study, if white patches on nails indicate a vitamin or mineral shortage, hyperpigmentation of nails can indicate a vitamin B12 insufficiency.
Yes, the nails can be a tell-tale symptom of a vitamin shortage, which is important for the formation of red blood cells, controlling cell metabolism, keeping the brain system healthy, releasing energy from meals, and generating DNA! Now that we've established the importance of vitamin B12 in our bodies, let's look at the symptoms we should look for in our nails.
The relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency and nail problems
According to a study published in BMJ, the nail sign was explored when a 12-year-old child presented with gradual darkening of nails on both hands and feet over three months. The researchers concluded that nail alterations in vitamin B12 deficiency manifest as nail hyperpigmentation. As a result, one may see bluish staining of the nails, blue-black pigmentation with dark longitudinal streaks, and dark longitudinal and reticulate streaks
This study also discovered that nail pigmentation caused by B12 deficiency is more common in persons with dark complexion. And the cause is most likely low glutathione levels, which cause tyrosinase, a melanogenesis enzyme, to become uninhibited, resulting in increased melanin formation.
How to Prevent B12 Deficiency
According to Dimple Jangda, an Ayurvedic health coach, Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that your body cannot produce on its own. As a result, you must ensure that you are obtaining it through your diet or supplements.
Vegetarians, pregnant or nursing women, and anyone at risk of insufficiency should be extremely attentive about their vitamin B12 levels.
The expert lists 12 items you should eat to avoid vitamin B12 deficiency in an Instagram post:
1. Vegetables: Include vitamin B12-rich vegetables on your meal, such as spinach, beets, potatoes, mushrooms, and alfalfa.
2. Ghee: This ever-popular Indian culinary ingredient provides vital fatty acids such as omega 3 fatty acid, butyric acid, and fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12. Don't make a face the next time your mother serves you rotis with ghee!
3. Fortified cereals: For the best outcomes, choose fortified cereals that are low in sugar and high in fiber.
4. Fortified nutritional yeast: This vegan food product is touted as a high source of vitamin B12.
5. Almond, almond milk, milk and dairy products
