Why Are My Nails Brittle and Peeling?

Possible cause: General nutrient deficiency, including insufficient fatty acids

Thin, flaking nails are relatively common, according to Bette Bischoff, MD, RD, a functional-medicine doctor in Tulsa, Okla., and might indicate a deficiency of any number of nutrients — iron, protein, essential fatty acids, zinc, calcium, iodine, and vitamins A, C, B6, and B7.

“A lot of times, thin, peeling nails are just a sign that someone needs to have better nutritional support overall,” she says.

What you can do: Eat a wide variety of whole foods and take a high-quality multivitamin and mineral supplement, along with a quality fish-oil capsule for omega-3 fatty acids. While it would be ideal to get all our nutrients from food, says Bischoff, soil depletion means that crops today often have fewer vitamins and minerals than crops grown decades ago. A good supplement helps close that gap.

This was excerpted from “What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You, Part 2” which was published in the April 2016 issue of Experience Life.