A Comprehensive Guide to Essential Vitamins Post Bariatric Surgery

Published on April 10 , 2024 | 3 Minutes to Read

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Essential Vitamins Post Bariatric Surgery and it’s need

Once you are through with Bariatric surgery, it’s more important to look after your health. A Comprehensive Guide to Essential Vitamins Post Bariatric Surgery is a must. During this procedure, a portion of your small intestine is bypassed, making your body undergo neuroendocrine changes and absorb less nutrients from food. So, to ensure that you get enough vitamins and minerals to keep your weight-loss goals on track and avoid complications from nutritional deficiencies, you need to go for patches, pills, or chewable forms of vitamin supplements. It is however, recommended to consult your doctor before taking any of the supplements. Let’s take a closer look at the supplement regimens that are required for the various bariatric surgery options.

Why do you need vitamins after bariatric surgery

Dietary requirements get a bit demanding after surgery and supplements are often needed daily, because :

• Bariatric surgery reduces the body’s natural ability to absorb vitamins.
• The surgery only allows the body to hold small quantities of food, which is not enough to absorb vitamins.
• The body undergoes neuroendocrine changes which result in hormonal fluctuations.

Common Vitamin supplements You Need to Take and Tests to Undergo Post Bariatric Surgery:

• High dose of mineral and multivitamins or two daily doses of regular minerals and multivitamins.
• A calcium supplement with vitamin D tablets.
• Test your blood levels of iron, zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin A, vitamins D, E, and K, and thiamin.

Other than these vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as tests, there are some additional vitamin requirements for patients who have undergone the different types of bariatric surgery.

1. For Gastric Sleeve Patients

Patients who have undergone Gastric sleeve or Vertical sleeve gastrectomy may need:

• Vitamin B and B 12 supplements along with folic acid.

Related read – 5 Essential Nutrients Post Gastric Sleeve Surgery

2. For Gastric Bypass Patients

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or gastric bypass surgery patients may need to take:

• Iron supplement with vitamin C.
• A biotin supplement.
• Monthly B12 injections are effective however, appropriate supplementation can also be achieved by using the oral formulation (1000 µg daily).

Related read – Understanding Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery For Weight Loss

3. For Duodenal Switch Patients

Duodenal switch patients may need to take the following supplements:

• An iron supplement with vitamin C to improve absorption.
• A biotin supplement.
• Monthly B12 injections are effective however, appropriate supplementation can also be achieved by using the oral formulation (1000 µg daily.
• Daily doses of Vitamin A, E, and K.

Conclusion

Take care of your diet and adopt a strict exercise routine to bring positive changes in your life and help your body respond better to bariatric surgery. Over time, you can move from a liquid diet to pureed and soft foods, and few months down the line, return to your normal diet, though in small portions. Don’t forget to discuss with your bariatric surgeon every step of the way and take your supplements on time. To get answers to your questions or discuss available bariatric surgery options, contact Perth Surgical and Bariatrics. We provide weight loss surgical treatments such as gastric bypass surgery and gastric sleeve gastrectomy in Perth, Australia. You can fill out our contact form and we will get back to you, shortly. Alternatively, you can also call us at 08 6558 1901.