Can Humans Digest Fingernails? The Indigestible Truth About Keratin
                                
                                
                                •
                                
                                
                        
                                    
                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                Approximately 20-30% of the population bites their nails, leading many to wonder: can humans digest fingernails? The short answer is no, because fingernails are made of a tough, fibrous protein called keratin that the human digestive system is not equipped to break down.