While we are often aware of the common symptoms that come with high sugar levels, such as constant thirst, tiredness, or frequent trips to the bathroom, our body often gives us subtle clues to our condition in places we wouldn’t expect. One of these places is actually your fingertips!
Our hands are a great indicator of what is going on inside our bodies. If we have high sugar levels for months, the small capillaries and nerve pathways supplying our fingertips will be damaged.
Below are 4 changes to our fingernails we should pay attention to, according to doctors at Verywell Health.
Yellow Discoloration
A classic early symptom of high sugar levels building up in the body is a yellowish tinge. This is because excess sugar in the body will bind to proteins such as collagen. This causes our nails to change color and become less flexible. If the tips of our nails are becoming less transparent, it may be a red flag.
Constant Brittle Breakage
Our fingertips need a constant flow of oxygen and nutrients to remain strong. If our sugar levels are not managed, the small pathways supplying our hands with blood will become hardened and blocked. Our nail beds will not be receiving healthy nutrients, causing our nails to become very brittle.
According to the Mayo Clinic, this will cause our fingernails to crack down the middle, at the edges, or become so thin they will lift off easily.
Constant Bacterial Build-Up
Having too much sugar in our tissues will weaken our immune system, making it extremely difficult for our white blood cells to kill off everyday bacteria. Fungal bacteria love sugar and will feed off the extra glucose in our tissues. This can lead to persistent infections on our fingers (onychomycosis). This will cause our nails to appear crumbly, white, and warped. If you are constantly having issues with your nails lifting or peeling and not healing, there may be an issue internally causing the bacteria.
Horizontal Ridges
If our body is under extreme stress due to a large spike in sugar, our body will stop performing non-essential functions. This can cause our nail matrix to stop producing our nails completely for a few days. Once our body has calmed down and our nails start growing again, a horizontal ridge (Beau’s line) will appear.
According to research from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), these ridges will act as a marker to show when our body was under extreme stress.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
Note: The information in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician, endocrinologist, or qualified healthcare provider if you have any questions about a medical condition or blood glucose testing.
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