Q.Can anything help with dry, brittle nails? I would give anything to have strong healthy nails that I wasn’t ashamed of.
A. The B vitamin biotin might be the answer. As early as 1940, the possibility of an association between deficiency of B-complex vitamins and nail brittleness was demonstrated. More recent research has focused on the role of biotin in this common disorder. Biotin is a B vitamin that functions in the manufacture and utilization of fats and amino acids (the building blocks of protein). Since nails are primarily composed of protein, biotin supplementation may help brittle nails by improving the incorporation of amino acids into nail proteins.
Most of the early research on biotin came from veterinary medicine. Biotin was shown to increase the strength and hardness of hooves in pigs and horses. Recent human studies have shown that biotin supplementation (2,500 mcg per day) can produce a 25% increase in the thickness of the nail plate in patients diagnosed with brittle nails of unknown cause. This increase in thickness of the nail plate translates to up to 91% of patients taking this dosage of biotin experiencing improvement. Since it takes at least six weeks to grow new nails, don’t expect immediate improvements, but the use of biotin is certainly worth a try.
Michael Murray, ND, is one of the world’s leading authorities on natural medicine and a contributor to the Healthnotes, Inc. team of experts. Dr. Murray is the author of A Textbook of Natural Medicine, Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, and The Healing Power of Herbs. He also authors Dr. Murray’s Electronic Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, an exclusive Healthnotes product.