A longevity expert explains that you may be able to predict your lifespan based on how quickly your fingernails grow.
Dr David Sinclair, an expert in genetics at Harvard Medical School, said nail health is a key indicator of the rate at which our body generates new, healthy cells.
The faster this happens, the more likely we are to be protected against age-related decline. Dr Sinclair said: ‘The rate of your nail growth is a really good indicator of how you’re aging or not aging.’
He referenced a study from 1979 in which scientists attached tiny measuring tapes to hundreds of people’s fingernails and tracked growth over years.
They found that weekly fingernail growth rate decreased by about 0.5 per cent per year from the age of 30. If nails grow faster than this, and you need to cut them more often than other people your age, it could be a sign you’re ageing at a slower rate than average.
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