Bariatric Vitamins - Taking Supplements After Weight Loss Surgery

By Brandon R. Cornett

Most patients of weight-loss surgery will at some point discover the need for vitamin supplementation. In fact, medical and nutritional experts are virtually unanimous on the subject of bariatric vitamins as a post-procedure regimen.

But what are these vitamins and supplements in the first place, and who should take them? That's what we will examine in this article. With that being said, please note that I am merely the publisher of an educational website on bariatric surgery -- I am not a doctor. The information presented in this article comes from my own research and information gathering.

Why Take Vitamins After Surgery?

A lot of doctors state that patients of a bariatric (weight loss) procedure should supplement their diets with certain vitamins and minerals after their surgery. This is especially true for the gastric bypass surgery. When you think about what is taking place from a physical perspective, you have to admit that the gastric bypass is brutal on the body. The patient's stomach is segmented into a smaller upper area and a larger lower area. The upper area is the only usable part, which is what leads to decreased eating and (by extension) weight loss.

This is where bariatric vitamins come into the picture. During a traditional gastric bypass procedure, the patient's small intestine is rerouted to the newly created upper section of the stomach (the smaller segment). This can lead to problems with malabsorption, which is a medical way of saying the body is not absorbing nutrients and vitamins as well as it did before surgery -- or as well as it should.

The Medical Advantages of Supplementation

Given what we have talked about above, you can probably see the medical advantages to taking certain vitamins after a bariatric surgery procedure. If your post-procedure body cannot absorb certain nutrients from the foods you eat, then you'll have to get those essential nutrients by way of supplementation (mainly by taking vitamins).

What should you take? Well, I would consult with your physician about that. But here are some of the things that came up repeatedly in my research. Calcium and iron are two of the essential items that patients do not absorb as well after bariatric surgery. So when health experts recommend vitamin supplementation after such procedures, these two items are often high on the list.

Deficiencies in vitamins A, D, E and K are also reported in a lot of patients. This is why many nutritionists recommend a good multivitamin for people who under go a gastric bypass surgery. A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis later on down the road, while a severe lack of vitamin A can negatively affect your vision. So clearly, these are not things you want your body to lack!

Brandon Cornett is the publisher of Bariatric Learning Center, which offers information on all aspects of weight-loss surgery. Learn more about bariatric vitamins and related topics by visiting http://www.bariatriclearningcenter.com