What’s the Difference Between Bariatric Vitamins and Regular Vitamins?
Everyone needs vitamins. There are no exceptions. But if you’ve undergone bariatric surgery, you have a special need for vitamins because it will be more difficult to obtain proper nutrition after surgery has altered your stomach. To ensure that you are getting all needed vitamins, you will need to supplement your diet.
Importance of Vitamins
Most vitamins are not synthesized by the human body, so you must either consume them in your food or through supplementation. If you have undergone weight loss surgery, there is no getting around the fact that you will need to supplement your intake of vitamins to be sure that you are getting enough to maintain things like your immune system, cardiovascular health, mood and energy levels.
Vitamins are essential for processes like:
- Metabolic rate
- Brain activity
- Energy levels
- Nutrient absorption
- Bone health
- Building and maintenance of muscle
Why does bariatric surgery make patients more susceptible to vitamin deficiencies?
Following bariatric surgery, your anatomy will have been altered somewhat. Although the surgery will allow you to lose a significant amount of weight, it can also cause you to have certain kinds of nutritional deficiencies. Bariatric surgery removes portions of your stomach and small intestine where the absorption of micronutrients normally occurs.As a result, supplementing with bariatric vitamins is essential.
Some bariatric vitamins that are often recommended for weight loss surgery patients include:
B Vitamins
B vitamins help your body process food and turn it into energy. They are particularly important in converting sugars into energy. If you are deficient in B vitamins, you will likely be irritable and more susceptible to developing nerve damage.
Vitamin D
Bariatric patients are often advised to take supplemental calcium. But calcium alone is not enough. Vitamin D will help increase your body’s absorption of calcium so that you can maximize whatever amount reaches your stomach.
How are bariatric vitamins different from regular vitamins?
As mentioned earlier, bariatric surgery can make you more vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies. The total amount of food that you can safely consume is now smaller than before. In turn, this can limit your absorption of vitamins. So vitamin supplementation is critical.
Bariatric vitamins are specially formulated so that your body absorbs them more easily, resulting in less stomach irritation and preventing vitamin deficiencies better than over-the-counter vitamins. Over-the-counter vitamins are formulated with the general public in mind, rather than the bariatric patient. Bariatric vitamins provide sufficient nutrients to prevent vitamin deficiencies for weight loss surgery patients.
For More Information
Getting the right vitamins after weight loss surgery is vitally important. If you would like to receive additional information about bariatric vitamins, please contact your NJ Advanced Surgical Solutions provider today.