But why are they important?
Let’s put it this way, your body needs the right amount of
the right vitamins and minerals to work at its full potential not just to keep
you healthy, and also it can relate to a better weight loss.
Vitamins do regulate core processes such as:
- · Appetite and hunger
- · Brain activity
- · Nutrient absorption
- · Metabolic rate
- · Fat and sugar metabolism
- · Thyroid and adrenal function
- · Energy Storage
Food is the best way to get the vitamins and minerals that
your body needs, but sometimes we aren’t able to get the amount that we need
from our everyday diet, that’s where the supplement comes in...
Here comes the best part after what you as a WLS patientneed to know...!
In addition, as many as 80%
of bariatric surgery patients don’t get enough vitamins before surgery, so the
right bariatric diet and bariatric vitamins are that much more important
following surgery.
Primarily Malabsorptive:
- · Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery
Primarily Restrictive:
- · Adjustable Gastric Banding (Lap Band Surgery)
- · Vertical Banded Gastroplasty
Making sure your body has the right amount of each vitamin
will keep you healthy, help you lose weight and help your body keep the weight
off!
Now let’s talk about gastric sleeve and which vitamins I have
to be aware of as we all know a GS is a restrictive surgery so there is
possibility on deficiency on some vitamins such as:
- · Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
- · Folate
- · Vitamin A
...So just be aware and try to find more resources of food to
get the amount that is needed.
What happens when you don’t take the vitamins that you need?
Not having regular checkups (blood test) or ignoring the
doctors or nutritionist guidelines can have severe problems on a long run. Some
of these problems can be caused:
- · Calcium deficiencies (Can lead to osteoporosis)
- · Iron deficiencies ( Can cause anemia (when your body does not have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body), increased feelings of fatigue and hair loss)
- · Folate (Folic Acid) deficiency (Can also lead to anemia)
- · Protein Deficiency (protein is one of the most important components of your body as it makes up most of your major organs. Not getting enough can lead to a myriad of problems, including muscle deterioration, organ failure, gallstones and even death)
- · Thiamin (Vitamin B1) deficiency (affects the heart, digestive system and nervous system. If not caught and treated quickly, learning and memory could be permanently affected. Ultimately, coma and death could be the result)
- · Vitamin A deficiency (Can lead to night blindness and increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections. During pregnancy after weight loss surgery, it increases the risk of night blindness and child mortality)
- · Vitamin B12 (can cause fatigue and tingling in the hands and can eventually lead to anemia and neurological disorders)
- · Vitamin D deficiency (can lead to liver and kidney disorders and bone softening diseases)
- · Vitamin E deficiency (causes neurological problems, anemia and can cause wounds to heal more slowly0
- · Vitamin K deficiency (increases the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease and can cause you to bruise more easily)
- · Zinc deficiency (will give you brittle nails and can lead to hair loss)
The only way to be aware if you have a deficiency in any
vitamin is through a blood test. Symptoms that start to appear are often
confused with other bariatric surgery side effects and aren’t often diagnosed
by a physical exam.
In short, take bariatric
vitamins very seriously. If you’re not prepared stick to a strict regimen
forever, don’t move forward with surgery.
