Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery

Vitamins and Bariatric surgeries.

For which bariatric surgeries or weight loss surgeries would you recommend taking Vitamins?

Bariatric
Adjustable Gastric Banding (also known as the LAP-BAND)
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (also called vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, Greater Curvature Gastrectomy, Parietal Gastrectomy, Gastric Reduction and even Vertical Gastroplasty)
Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG)
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RGB)
Biliopancreatic Diversion (BPD)
Gastric Sleeve

The reason is because your nutritional needs need to be met with out taking up voluble space in your pouch so you need a good bariatric vitamin (weight loss vitamin).

How does my nutritional requirements change?

Nutritional requirements change dramatically following bariatric surgery. During the first month, ingested foods progress through clear liquids, to opaque liquids, to pureed foods, to soft foods, and finally, to well chewed regular foods. Not only is that, but the amount of food a person is able to eat at one time drastically reduced. Consequently, it is virtually impossible to obtain adequate amounts of essential protein and vitamins from the diet alone. A firm commitment to a regular multi-vitamin supplement is required for most patients.

Following surgery, does the patient have to take vitamin and mineral supplements for the rest of their lives?

Yes! Following weight loss surgery, vitamin and mineral supplements are required to prevent nutritional deficiencies. Deficiencies arise due to both the reduced food intake and the malabsorption associated with the surgery. The majority of weight loss surgery patients will require a multi-vitamin supplement for years to come.

What should I take and how often?

It is recommended that you take vitamin supplements regularly after having a gastric bypass. This is because not only are you unable to consume enough food (quantity) to meet your vitamin & mineral requirements, but also because you will have a decreased ability to digest and absorb certain nutrients after having gastric bypass surgery. We recommend that you take a multivitamin, plus extra calcium, iron, B12 and Vitamin D supplements.

Begin taking a spray multivitamin threw out the while on liquids during the first 2 weeks. Add your calcium, iron, vitamin B12, and Vitamin D3 supplements when you progress to soft foods in the third week following your surgery.

To make sure you are taking everything you need, in the correct dose, and in the correct form, VitaMist spray vitamin supplements could assist bariatric patients with their specific nutritional needs.

Multivitamins

Start taking spraying your multivitamin/mineral supplement throughout the day while on liquids. When you progress to soft foods, take them with meals.

Calcium

There is typically only a small amount of calcium in multivitamins. Therefore, we recommend taking an additional calcium everyday when you progress to soft foods. Because most chewable supplements are too large and difficult to swallow. There are different forms of calcium such as calcium carbonate and calcium citrate. There are arguments that Calcium citrate is the most efficiently absorbed form of calcium following gastric bypass,

Some professionals recommend taking your calcium supplements twice a day in 2 smaller doses rather than taking one large dose all at once because the smaller doses could increase absorption.

Iron

Some specialists recommend that you take an iron supplement daily.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is digested and absorbed differently than most vitamins. After gastric bypass surgery, you could experience difficulty in digesting and or absorbing sufficient amounts of B12 to maintain health. You could take your B12 in a form that directly enters the bloodstream, not through the digestive tract. There are two ways to do this.

Some patients opt for a monthly painful vitamin B12 injection at their primary care physician's office after gastric bypass surgery. Some patients also give themselves their monthly B12 injection.
Another option is to take Spray B12. We also have high potency spray B12 at 500 mcg supplement, and it may be taken daily.

Vitamin D

It is usually recommended that patients ensure the correct amount of vitamin D intake.

Vitamins and Health

Gastric bypass surgery introduces a malabsorption condition to the patient's digestive tract. To ensure the success of the surgery there are some dramatic and essential lifestyle changes -- including a reduction in the amount of food that is eaten as well as ensuring the highest nutritional quality for this food. But however good the diet, it is almost impossible to process and absorb the essential nutrients from the food in the same way that was possible pre-surgery.

The malabsorption condition contributes to the weight lost rather than by simply dieting alone. Malabsorption is a major factor in many types of weight loss surgery -- such as Roux-en-Y and the Duodenal Switch to name just two.

This is a life long commitment. By taking vitamin supplements daily, bariatric patients can help avoid health complications due to malnutrition.