Why Do Bariatric Patients Need Vitamins?

Bariatric surgeons give a list of instructions for their patients, and taking your vitamins for life is on the list. You may wonder why this is the case, and how important it is to follow these guidelines. After all, you may already be working hard to eat protein, change your eating habits, and drink more water. Do you really need to struggle to get your vitamins, too? 

Yes, you do need to make sure you take your bariatric vitamins. However, it does not need to be a struggle. BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE and Sugar-Free Calcium Citrate Chews are designed with you in mind. They make it easy to choose your bariatric vitamins, and taking them can be an easy experience, too.* Here’s what you should know about why bariatric patients need vitamins, which to take, and how to choose the best ones for you.

Benefits of Taking Vitamins

Taking vitamins and preventing deficiencies can have a variety of benefits. BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE and Calcium Citrate Chews may:*

• Support normal metabolism and energy production.
• Promote normal immune function.
• Support healthy bones, heart, joints, and blood vessels.
• Support a normal mood and cognitive function.
• Protect cells against damage by free radicals.

Be sure to ask your healthcare provider about any health concerns and before taking nutritional supplements.

Importance of Taking Vitamins

There are many reasons why bariatric surgery patients need vitamins. These are a few common possibilities. 

Baseline deficiency: Many obese patients are deficient in one or more nutrients even before surgery.

Not eating much: Part of your bariatric weight loss diet is limiting portions and total calories. At the same time, you may be getting lower amounts of vitamins and minerals than you need.

Limited diet excluding food groups: A bariatric diet may be low in certain food groups associated with some nutrients. For example, if you are lactose intolerant, you may not be having much milk or yogurt, leading to low calcium intake.

Malabsorption: Some bariatric procedures, such as gastric bypass and duodenal switch, help you lose weight by limiting the amount of nutrients you absorb from food. However, this also applies to vitamins and minerals, so you could be low on them. People with fat malabsorptive disorders can also need vitamins.

Ask your doctor if these and other risk factors are true for you. If they are, taking supplements may be the right choice.*

Bariatric Vitamins and Minerals to Check

There are a number of vitamins and minerals that are especially important for bariatric surgery patients. These are some common nutrients of concern.*

Best Bariatric Vitamins

The best bariatric vitamins are easy to take and meet ASMBS standards. BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE comes in easy-to-swallow coated capsules and pleasant-tasting chewable tablets in Orange and Mixed Berry Flavors. Choices include iron-free as well as with 18, 45, and 60 mg of elemental iron. 

Unlike some multivitamins, they are designed for you to only need one daily. That can make it easier for you to remember whether you have taken your vitamin already today, and it prevents you from needing to take a mountain of pills just to get your vitamins.

Since it’s best not to take an iron supplement at the same time as calcium, to prevent nutrient interactions, BariatricMultivitamin ONE is designed to be taken at times separate from calcium supplements. BariatricPal Sugar-Free Calcium Citrate Soft Chews have 500 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D per chew. They also have 250 million CFU of probiotics, or healthy bacteria that live in the gut.

They taste so good that taking your calcium may be your favorite part of the day. These are the delicious flavors.

• Chocolate Mint
• Belgian Chocolate Caramel
• Caramel Apple
• French Vanilla Caramel
• Orange Creamsicle
• Piña Colada
• Strawberry Watermelon Twist
• Wild Grape
• Blue Raspberry

They come in bags with 90, 180, or 270 chews. 

Vitamins To Avoid

There are a lot of nutritional supplements on the market that may not do the trick for bariatric patients. These are some of them.

• Vitamin gummies. They tend to be low in certain nutrients, and often don’t have a wide range of vitamins and minerals.
• Sugar-laden calcium chews. If each chew has a bit of sugar, and you take multiple chews daily, you may end up with more sugar than you should be having on your bariatric diet.
• Kids’ vitamins. Chews and tablets designed for children may taste good and come in pretty containers, but they have lower amounts of some nutrients than you may need.
• Vitamins with ingredients such as soy, gluten, or lactose, if you think you may be sensitive, which is common after weight loss surgery.
• Multivitamins without minerals. Some multivitamin products really are just that - multivitamins. They don’t have any or many minerals, leading to the possibility of deficiencies in nutrients such as zinc, iron, or copper, for starters.

Taking your vitamins as a bariatric patient can help prevent deficiencies and be a critical part of your healthy lifestyle program after surgery.* BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE and Calcium Citrate Chews are designed to meet recommendations for bariatric surgery patients, and they are hypoallergenic and easy to use. Give them a try and find out how good it feels to take care of yourself while you lose weight.

*The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements. BariatricPal products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone with a medical condition should seek the advice of a licensed medical practitioner. Individual results may vary.