Your body needs vitamins to function properly. Vitamins help create red blood cells, help maintain the nervous system, promote immunity from illness and create strong bones and teeth. Most vitamins are absorbed in the small intestine. Gastric bypass surgery is an operation used to treat people who are morbidly obese, usually over 350 lbs. This surgery alters the intestinal tract and can lead to vitamin deficiencies.
Gastric Bypass Procedure
A gastric bypass is a major operation. A surgeon performs gastric bypass in a hospital under general anesthesia. MayoClinic.com explains during the surgery, the surgeon will make an incision into the abdomen. The surgeon will then staple the stomach, sealing it off from the lower portion. The newly sectioned-off pouch will hold about an ounce of food. The surgeon will then attach the second section of the small intestine, called the jejunum, to the pouch, bypassing the first section, known as the duodenum. The food will then bypass the part of the intestine that absorbs most of the calories, helping to expedite weight loss.
Vitamin Absorption
Vitamin absorption depends largely on the type of vitamin. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins, and the body absorbs them along with fat in the intestine. Vitamins A, D and K are stored in the liver and vitamin E is distributed into the fatty tissue. Water-soluble vitamins, such as most B vitamins and vitamin C, will only stay in your body briefly. The kidneys excrete the excess from the body in urine. Vitamin B-12 needs a substance known as intrinsic factor, created from the parietal cells within the stomach, for your body to absorb the nutrients properly in the small intestine. The body does not create these vitamins, and therefore you must replenish them continuously through vitamin-rich foods.
Iron and B-12 Deficiencies
Fat-soluble vitamins can stay stored within the body for extended periods. Once people have undergone a gastric bypass, they are most likely to experience vitamin deficiencies of water-soluble vitamins, specifically iron and B-12, according to the National Institutes of Health. Vitamin B-12 performs many essential functions within the body such as DNA production, maintenance of the nerves, metabolism of food for energy and red blood cell production. Iron occurs in red blood cells and carries oxygen to all cells within the body. Iron also helps produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body's energy source.
Treatment and Prevention
Once a person has undergone a gastric bypass, physicians will often discuss the possibility of vitamin deficiencies, as well as potential symptoms such as pale skin, fatigue, shortness of breath and numbness and tingling of the extremities. The National Institutes of Health explains physicians will often treat B-12 deficiencies with monthly B-12 injections. In some cases, they will add oral or sublingual B-12 supplements to prevent future B-12 deficiencies. Physicians may not add iron supplements after gastric bypass unless a deficiency has already occurred due to the potential for toxicity.
Consideration
People who maintain a proper diet and follow physician instructions after surgery can often avoid potential deficiencies. Patients who experience symptoms of vitamin deficiencies should notify their physicians right away so they can begin treatment, as early treatment can help avoid permanent damage, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
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