ANCHORAGE BARIATRICS

FOR A NEW BEGINNING

Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements

Our modern diets include many foods that have been genetically altered to provide better taste, fewer calories, reduced fat, and many other “desirable” tradeoffs. Sadly, many of these alterations come at the expense of the nutritional content of the food. This is why it is important that we all take a good daily multivitamin.
This is especially true for our patients on weight loss medications or having bariatric surgery. Weight loss medications can alter the absorption of vitamins and minerals. For those having bariatric surgery, in the years following surgery the volume of food you are able to eat will be reduced. Due to the volume restriction of your stomach as well as the bypassing of any part of your digestive tract, it will be difficult to consume adequate amounts of various nutrients. You will be required to take vitamin and mineral supplements daily — for the rest of your life!

BUY YOUR VITAMINS – CLICK THE LOGO

Starting this now will ensure you have an adequate baseline and a good reserve for your body to draw from.
Take a good, high-quality daily multivitamin. Any vitamin brand will work. However, for your convenience, I have recommended products in the office and available online through our website.

Try to find one that contains as much of the following as possible:

  • 400 mcg folate
  • 15mg zinc
  • 30 IU vitamin E
  • 2mg copper

I also recommend you take:

  • Vitamin D3: 2000-3000 IU daily (everyone in Alaska needs this)
  • Fish Oil (strong natural anti-inflammatory properties)

Other supplements you may consider based on your labs results:

  • Calcium Citrate (separate from any iron supplement by at least 2 hours)
  • Folate
  • B12 (by mouth or by monthly injections)
  • Iron (take with vitamin C for increased absorption)
  • 18mg iron
  • 5000 IU vitamin A
  • 80 mcg vitamin K
  • 1.5mg thiamine B1

New evidence is also showing that probiotics before and after surgery can have a positive impact. Probiotics have been shown to decrease bacterial overgrowth, improve gut motility, and improve B12 absorption. In some patients it has also been shown to increase weight loss after surgery!