I hate to break it to you but those white marks on nails are not caused by an excess of calcium or a deficiency of zinc but most likely from a minor injury while the nail is growing!
The medical name for those white spots is called leukonychia which can also be caused by some medical conditions (but is quite rare). By the time those spots show up on your nail, you have probably already forgotten that you might have hit that nail. In some cases, the spots could be a sign of an allergic reaction to the nail polish but the majority of the time they are pretty harmless.
There are foods that can help your nails grow and stay strong though...
Biotin is a B vitamin that can eliminate the brittleness of fragile nails and calcium can also be beneficial for nail growth according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. Here are some great foods that are rich in biotin:
Swiss Chard
Carrots
Almonds & Walnuts
Chicken Eggs
Goat's milk
Strawberries & Raspberries
Halibut
Onions, Cucumbers, and Cauliflower
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Hi,
July 26, 2016 - 8:34pmA differential diagnosis could also be a superficial fungal nail infection which can present similar to this condition. As the fungal infection progress you could also start to see signs of the nail lifting, yellowing and splitting of the nail.
If your concerned about your condition i would recommend seeing your podiatrist for diagnosis as fungal nail infections often spread to other nails.
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Hi Dr. Burklund -
I always wondered what those white spots were, and now I know. Thanks for some very helpful information, and for your suggestions for natural ways to get Biotin into our diets.
Best,
Pat
October 30, 2014 - 6:34pmThis Comment