The speed at which your fingernails grow can indicate how quickly or slowly you are aging, with faster growth suggesting better biological health. Things like what you eat, blood flow and hormone levels can affect your nails’ growth. Changes in the appearance of your nails can indicate various health issues, including deficiencies and potential chronic conditions. Read MoreHarvard expert reveals what your fingernails say about your lifespan. Your fingernail growth can indicate your biological age and even tell you how long you will live. A world-famous expert on staying young has said that how quickly your fingernails grow can tell you how long you are expected to live and how well you are aging.

Dr. David Sinclair, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, said on his podcast that how quickly your nails grow is a sign of how well your body makes healthy cells.

Nails that grow faster may suggest a slower rate of aging, protecting against age-related decline.

Biological aging is different from chronological aging. Chronological aging is a scientific term for how old the cells and tissues of the body appear, depending on how well they function. Chronological age is the time passed from birth to the given date.

Nails change as we get older, mainly because our blood doesn’t circulate, meaning the nutrients don’t reach our nails. They may also appear dull and brittle. They may also become yellowed and opaque.

But age isn’t the only thing that affects nail appearance. Poor nutrition and hormonal changes can also play a role. You might find that your nails grow faster during puberty and pregnancy.

Further changes, such as pits, ridges, lines, changes in shape, or other changes, can indicate iron deficiency, kidney disease, and nutritional deficiencies.

How cancer changes nails.

Black spots under your nails could be a sign of cancer, such as melanoma, or a wart growing under the nail.

White spots and lines on your nails can indicate a lack of zinc, calcium, or iron in your diet or a fungal infection.

What is nail clubbing?

Nail clubbing is when the areas under and around your toenails and fingernails change because of a disorder. The nails may also show changes.

For example, the nails may widen and wrap around the side of the fingertips.

While this condition can sometimes occur in a healthy person without apparent cause, it can also be a sign of more serious health problems. This change in shape could be due to low oxygen levels in the body’s tissues, which chronic heart or lung conditions may cause.