Multivitamins prevent malnutrition after gastric-bypass surgery.
Gastric-bypass surgery can help obese patients lose weight and attain better health. One of the risks of the surgery is malnutrition after the patient begins eating a normal diet because of the change in the way food passes through the digestive system. Food is routed directly into the small intestine in a gastric bypass, resulting in nutrient deficiencies.
Facts
The gastric-bypass procedure creates malabsorption in patients because of the digestive changes. Patients cannot rely on diet alone to get the vitamins and minerals that are lost during the digestive process.
Identification
Gastric-bypass patients must undergo diagnostic testing to determine if there are any vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Doctors perform the tests more often if symptoms of malnutrition exist.
Prevention
Vitamin supplements are used by bariatric surgery patients to provide the vitamins and minerals that are not absorbed through diet. A multivitamin that has iron, B-complex vitamins and 1,000 to 1500 mg of calcium becomes a daily part of the gastric-bypass patient's life.
Considerations
The weight-loss surgery requires patients to be committed to the success of the procedure. The patient is responsible for consuming a healthy diet and taking the recommended vitamin supplements.
Significance
The weight-loss surgery is helpful for obese patients who are not able to lose weight with diet and exercise alone. Multivitamins become a way of lives for the patients for the rest of their life and must be considered before choosing gastric-bypass surgery.
