Weight-loss surgery is ideal for anyone who is more than 100 pounds overweight or has a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to 40. After the procedure, it is important that you are getting the proper care and nutrition for your body. With many procedures, the stomach is reduced in size and requires little food to become full. Malnutrition may occur if you are not eating enough foods with essential vitamins and minerals.
Malnutrition
Malabsorptive weight-loss surgeries are most often to blame for malnutrition. This procedure reduces the amount of calories and nutrition that is able to absorbed in the intestinal tract through a bypass of the smaller intestine. Since the small intestine cannot digest eaten food, vitamins and minerals are not absorbed into the body.
According to a journal for the American Family Physician, patients who undergo malabsorptive procedures are more likely to suffer from malnutrition in comparison to other weight loss procedures like laparoscopic banding, which is where a band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to reduce its size to consume less food.
In addition to malnutrition, those who undergo a malabsorptive procedure are also at risk for anemia. Since the intestines are not able to fully absorb vitamins and minerals, it causes the body to become deficient in iron, leading to anemia. After a distal gastric bypass, patients may experience low levels of calcium and protein, as well as deficiencies in vitamins A, E and D, which are fat soluble. The distal gastric-bypass procedure is designed for those 200 pounds or more overweight and is achieved by reducing the size of the stomach through stapling and then attaching the small intestine to the stomach closer to the colon, reducing the amount of food absorbed into the body.
Preventing Malnutrition
Once your procedure is done, follow up regularly with a physician to ensure you are getting proper nutrition and taking vitamin and mineral supplements, if necessary. For a calcium deficiency, taking calcium and vitamin D together will ensure that calcium is being absorbed into the body. Take 1,000 mg of calcium each day with 800 IU of vitamin D.
For iron deficiency, take 100 to 200 milligrams of a ferrous sulfate supplement every day a or generic iron gel supplement. For menstruating women, 300 to 350 milligrams are necessary to replace iron in the body. Protein deficiency may also be caused by gastric-bypass surgery, and protein must be present in the body to maintain muscle mass. Use supplemental protein shakes that contain at least 10 grams of protein in each serving and have no more than 30 grams of sugar.
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