Importance of vitamins and minerals
after your Bariatric Surgery
An educational and informative article from Hidalgo Bariatrics
Bariatric Surgery is a procedure that changes a patient’s digestion, limiting the number of nutrients the body receives, even while following a healthy diet. VITAMINS and MINERALS after any kind of bariatric surgery should be one of the most important things you should keep in mind if you recently had bariatric surgery or if you are planning on getting it done. We have listed a couple of FAQs for you to understand such importance, keep reading…
Why should I take vitamins and minerals after Bariatric Surgery?
After a bariatric procedure, the patient’s body needs extra vitamins and minerals because of the small amount of food the stomach is now able to get, causing the body to absorb less vitamins and minerals. For this reason, it’s very likely that your bariatric surgeon will always recommend you to take vitamins and mineral supplements as well as following the healthy diet provided by your nutritionist and trying to keep the healthier lifestyle as possible for the rest of your life. Blood testing monitoring will be also necessary, it will need to be done every 3 to 6 months after surgery for the first year, after that, once a year.
Which supplements are needed after Bariatric Surgery?
Vitamins and minerals are important aspects for your body to be healthy. The supplements should include calcium, vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, Vitamin C, and complete multivitamins, these vitamins will help you to meet your nutritional needs as you are consuming less food.
What might happen if I don't take them?
Bariatric patients need to learn that there are some long-term complications because of lackness of vitamins and minerals after their procedure if the requirements are not followed as recommended. Here we have listed a couple of complications you might face:
- Anemia: Caused by a deficiency of iron or B12, making you feel fatigued, weakness, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, or lightheadedness.
- Neurological complications, memory loss, or irritability: Due to lack of B12.
Bone and kidney disease: Caused by changes in the way your body absorbs calcium and vitamin D. Among others, the most important ones are mentioned above.
Dr.Hidalgo recommendation:
For the several first months after their surgery, multivitamins need to be chewable or liquid making sure they include iron, and avoiding gummy vitamins or skin patches.
We always suggest you consult your surgeon to determine if your vitamin and mineral routine is meeting your needs as well as having a strong eating strategy to have the right food choices which include their maximum nutrient intake…please always reach to an expert before making any decision, do not automedicate yourself.
