Liquid Vitamins For Bariatric Patients

Nutrition deficiencies commonly occur after bariatric surgery, also called weight loss surgery, because patients eat less and in some cases can no longer absorb all of the nutrients in the food they eat. After surgery, patients must change their exercise and eating habits and take nutrition supplements for the rest of their lives to maintain health and weight loss. Available forms of vitamin supplements include liquid, chewable, and pill or capsule versions.

Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric procedures help morbidly obese patients lose significant amounts of weight. Restrictive procedures such as adjustable gastric banding reduce intake by restricting the stomach to an egg-sized pouch. Malabsorptive procedures such as biliopancreatic diversion, or BPD, block some calorie absorption by rerouting part of the digestive system. Gastric bypass combines both approaches by permanently reducing the size of the stomach and also rerouting the digestive system. To qualify for bariatric surgery, patients must weight at least 100 lbs. more than their ideal weight, or, if they have an obesity-related condition such as high blood pressure, they must be 75 lbs. or more overweight.

Vitamin Deficiencies

All bariatric surgery patients need to take a high-quality multivitamin for the rest of their lives. Gastric banding patients need one dose per day to prevent deficiencies related to their decreased food intake. Gastric bypass and biliopancreatic diversion patients need two doses of a multivitamin a day because their procedures cause some malabsorption; they'll also need supplements of iron, calcium and vitamins B-12, D, A, K and E, according to Linda Aills, R.D., in a study published in the September 2008 issue of "Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases."

Liquid Vitamins

During the first month after bariatric surgery, patients should choose chewable or liquid vitamins if they find it difficult to swallow or tolerate pills and capsules. Most patients switch to pills or capsules when they begin soft or regular food but some patients continue to take the chewable or liquid forms. Regardless of the form of the vitamins, they must contain 100 percent of the recommended daily value of at least two-thirds of the nutrients per dose and should contain selenium, zinc, at least 18 mg iron and 400 g folic acid, according to Aills.

Tips

Over-the-counter multivitamin formulas for children do not contain enough micronutrients for adults, says Aills. Ask your health care provider for recommendations and obtain your multivitamins through your surgeon's office or from a reputable on-line source, such as Bariatric Choice at www.bariatricchoice.com or Bariatric Advantage at www.bariatricadvantage.com. Liquid forms of calcium and vitamin D are also available. If your multivitamin compound has iron in it, take it 2 hours before or after the calcium supplement, as the calcium inhibits iron absorption.