Nutritional deficiencies are common after bariatric surgery procedures, including gastric bypass. One common problem after receiving a gastric bypass is vitamin deficiency. Although your doctor may recommend a multivitamin after a gastric bypass, you may still be at risk of developing specific vitamin deficiencies, including a lack of folic acid.
What Is Folic Acid?
Folic acid is a member of the B-complex vitamins. These vitamins play a crucial role in controlling metabolism and are needed to break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy. In addition, folic acid is essential for the manufacture of DNA, meaning it is needed to help make new cells. A lack of folic acid can cause anemia because it will prevent the body from making new red blood cells quickly enough, according to. PubMed Health.
Vitamin Deficiencies
A gastric bypass, also known as a roux-en-y gastric bypass, is a procedure in which your stomach is stapled to create a small pouch and then your digestive tract is rerouted around part of your small intestine, MayoClinic.com explains. Not only does this limit the amount of food you eat but it interferes with nutritional absorption. Because part of your small intestine is circumvented, it is harder for your body to absorb vitamins from your diet and patients often need to take vitamin supplements to prevent deficiencies.
Inadequacy of Multivitamins
Most patients are told to take a standard multivitamin after a gastric bypass. This multivitamin may not be enough to prevent all vitamin deficiencies, however. A 2008 article in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" concluded that within three months after surgery, 34 percent of patients develop some type of vitamin deficiency despite multivitamin supplementation. This number increases to 59 and 98 percent six and 24 months after the procedure. Commonly-needed supplements included folic acid, vitamin B-12, calcium, iron and vitamin D.
Rare, But Potent
A folic acid deficiency is the least-common vitamin deficiency seen after gastric bypass, affecting fewer than 1 percent of patients. However, for the patients it does affect, it can cause severe fatigue and other problems, according to the Houston Surgical Specialists. If you have had gastric bypass surgery, have your doctor regularly check your vitamin levels. Always consult your doctor before adding vitamins or other supplements.
References
- Houston Surgical Specialists; Folic Acid Deficiency; 2011
- PubMed Health; Folic Acid; 2008
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Nutritional deficiencies after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for morbid obesity often cannot be prevented by standard multivitamin supplementation; Christoph Gasteyger et al.; May 2008
- MayoClinic; Gastric Bypass Surgery
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