Gastric Bypass & Vitamin B-1

Gastric bypass procedures help morbidly obese patients lose significant amounts of weight and keep it off. However, patients must make long-term changes to their diet and exercise habits to maintain the weight loss and their health. Some nutritional deficiencies may occur after gastric bypass and other weight loss surgery procedures. Decreased intake after surgery can cause deficiencies in several nutrients, including vitamin B-1, also known as thiamine or thiamin.

Gastric Bypass

Gastric bypass procedures involve surgically reducing the stomach to an egg-sized pouch and rearranging the digestive system to bypass part of the small intestine. Patients lose weight rapidly because they can eat only a small amount of food at one time and some of the calories they eat are not absorbed by the body. They must, however, make long-term changes to their eating and exercise habits and take dietary supplements of vitamins and minerals for the rest of their lives to maintain weight loss.

Vitamin B-1

The body needs vitamin B-1, a water soluble vitamin, to process the fat, carbohydrates and protein you eat into energy. The best sources of vitamin B-1 include beans, peas, nuts, pork and fortified cereal, but it is also found in fruit, dairy products and eggs, as well as in multivitamin and B-complex supplements. Symptoms of deficiency include loss of appetite, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, cramping of the legs and feet, burning feet, headaches, abdominal cramps and personality changes.

Vitamin B-1 Deficiency After Gastric Bypass

Cases of vitamin B-1 deficiency, called beriberi, not related to weight loss surgery occur primarily because of severe vomiting, starvation or alcoholism. Cases have also been documented among patients within the first few months after gastric bypass due to vomiting, anorexia, limited food intake or failure to take vitamin supplements, according to Linda Aills, R.D., lead researcher in a study published in the September 2008 issue of "Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases."

Treatment

Treatment for vitamin B-1 deficiency depends on the severity of the symptoms. In the early stages, treatment with B-complex supplements as well as magnesium to improve absorption may be sufficient. Patients with advanced neurological symptoms or who cannot tolerate medication by mouth may need intravenous or injectable thiamine until symptoms improve. Advanced cases may require months or years of treatment.