Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
If you have
nails that peel, crack and break, you probably have a harmless genetic
defect that causes your nails to lose moisture. The most
effective treatment is to use nail polish to slow the loss of
moisture, and to keep the nails very short. If you have deformed nails, check with a dermatologist to
see if you have a fungus infection that can be treated.
Many people believe that eating gelatin will strengthen fingernails, even though there is no evidence that it
has any effect. In the 1890s, Mrs. Charles Knox made gelatin
by boiling left-over slaughter-house waste of cow's hooves,
bones, tendons and skin. She and her salesman husband
devised a method of drying sheets of gelatin and grinding them
to a powder. They claimed that gelatin would make fingernails
stronger, presumably because cow hooves are strong. You can
still buy Knox's gelatin, and some people still believe the old
advertising claims.
Gelatin does not contain any special nutrients. It
contains a little protein, but lack of protein is not the cause of brittle and
cracked nails. Even if protein deficiency caused brittle nails,
gelatin would be a poor choice, because it is very low in two of
the protein building blocks, tryptophan and lysine. You can meet
your needs for protein by eating any food source of protein, such
as beans, meat, fish or chicken.
Checked 2/1/08