What you need to know about vitamins

When it comes to weight loss surgery, vitamins are no longer created equal. Whether it is due to pre-operative deficiencies or the changes in the ability to absorb nutrients post-surgery, it is vital to understand what support your body will need to maintain a healthy body and mind.

WLS Guidelines for supplements (as a general indicator)

Take responsibility for your own health by having your bloods done, and then keep it in check by committing to take high quality vitamins and supplements.

Gastric Band

• Adult Multivitamin
• Iron based on blood results

 Gastric Bypass (RNY)

• Adult Multivitamin (including folate)
• Sublingual B12
• 1000 mg Calcium as Calcium Citrate (+ 200 mg in food)
• 0 – 60 mg Iron 

Sleeve

• Adult Multivitamin
• Sublingual B12 
• +/- Iron

Get to know your forms

It is important to note that different forms have different features, costs and absorption levels. All of our vitamins have identification about which surgery types the product is best suited for.

Chewable – easy to swallow, need adult dose

Tablet – most readily available, size difficult at times, generic brands sometimes have outer shell that makes absorption difficult

Capsule – can be swallowed whole, or opened and contents mixed into soft foods

Liquid – easy to take, sometimes strong-tasting

Sub-lingual (under the tongue) – made to absorb slowly

Vitamins which have been specifically formulated for WLS patients are both necessary and superior to generic vitamins that can be purchased over the counter. It's important to ensure you have the right form for your surgery type too.

If you're not sure whether you need vitamins consider these, just some of the reasons for nutritional deficiency post surgery:

You eat less food

• Eating less food means less nutrition
• With fewer calories, it’s harder to get what you need
• If you started low and eat less, it’s hard to catch up! 

You may eat different food

• For example, fewer carbs = less folate
• Avoiding dairy can mean less calcium
• Having a hard time eating meat means less iron, zinc and protein 

Maldigestion/Malabsorption

• A procedure like a VSG or RNY will change how you digest food 
• A procedure like a RNY will cause you to malabsorb some nutrients