A pilot study comparing fingernails and bone health in males v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pilot study to investigate if there is a correlation between fingernail composition and bone health in males
IRAS ID
362497
Contact name
Niamh Gale
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 26 days
Research summary
What
Osteoporosis is a long-term condition where bones lose density, making them fragile and more likely to break. It occurs when bone breakdown is faster than bone building, often due to hormonal changes, aging, poor calcium/vitamin D intake, inactivity, or certain medications and illnesses. With no national screening programme, many people only discover they have it after a fracture.
The current “gold standard” test, Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), measures bone mineral density but cannot detect microfractures and is less accurate if other bone problems exist. Raman spectroscopy, a non-invasive light-based technique, can analyse the chemical make-up of tissues such as fingernails, which reflect long-term metabolic and hormonal health, offering a promising new monitoring tool.
Why
Osteoporosis is often seen as a women’s disease, yet 20–25% of related fractures occur in men. Men often develop it due to alcohol, steroid use, or androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer — 53% of men on ADT also have osteoporosis. Most research focuses on women, and results cannot always be applied to men because of differences in bone development, hormones, and genetics. This leads to under-diagnosis and under-treatment in men.
Who
We will study 24 adult men: 12 with osteoporosis and 12 without (control group) to compare results with existing female fingernail-bone health data.
Where & How
DXA scans will be carried out at the University of Exeter. Participants will also fill out a short health questionnaire and provide a nail clipping for Raman analysis. Each visit will take about 30 minutes. The project will run for about two years from proposal to dissemination.
How This Adds to Knowledge
This pilot study will provide the first direct data on men, helping to determine whether their nail composition changes in the same way as women’s in osteoporosis and can lead to further research on the development of this new analysis technique.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/NW/0012
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion