white patch on fingernail

[sg]

My friend emailed me this request, any ideas?

thanks

've got a white patch at the bottom of one of my nails: I'm variously informed that this indicates Zinc, Vitamin A and/or calcium deficiency. Zinc is in chickpeas and I eat houmous on an almost daily basis. Also, poultry. What can I do!? Can you answerbank it if you are unable to solve my nails yourself?

[Clanad]

The condition even has medical terminology; punctate leukonychia ... One source believes them to be caused, chiefly, to trapped air and to defective keratinization, keratinization being the process by which nails are formed. The air bubbles and/or opaque, imperfectly keratinized granules within the nail cells refract light and the spot appears white. The same source, however does give some passing credence to the lack of zinc theory.  The source (Total Nutrition by Carl C. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., M.D)  simply states "an abundance of large white spots or bands may be a sign of zinc deficiency"...

[pinkfrog]

It's sometimes the sign that you've damaged the nail bed before the nail grew.

[papigo]

its also sign of damage to the nail or nailbed at some time