Cara Stewart, RD, LDN, member of the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery team, explains the importance of the vitamin B12 supplements after weight loss surgery.
Vitamin B12 is the most common vitamin deficiency people experience after weight loss surgery. That is why it is important to supplement your diet with vitamin B12, especially after gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy.
Vitamin B12 is essential for proper nerve function, metabolism and red blood cell production. Deficiency can lead to B12 deficiency anemia, which causes fatigue, rapid heart rate, easy bruising and bleeding, stomach upset and diarrhea or constipation.
If the deficiency remains unaddressed, it can result in permanent nerve damage, including tingling or numbness in fingers and toes, difficulty walking, mood changes, memory loss and dementia.
Weight loss surgery reduces the acidity in the stomach, which makes absorption of vitamins and nutrients more difficult. That is why vitamin B12 deficiency is particularly common after surgery and supplementation is often required long after recovery.
Proper supplementation involves taking a daily form of vitamin B12 that dissolves under the tongue or getting a monthly injection, which is typically done by your primary care physician.
To prevent vitamin B12 deficiency, follow the dietary recommendations for supplementation after weight loss surgery and get your blood work checked regularly by a primary care physician or bariatric care team.
If you experience the symptoms associated with B12 deficiency, please check with your health care team.
- Cara Stewart, RD, LDN
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