Gastric Bypass and nutritional deficiency- The Thots of Jm and Researchers

Those of you who know me personally already know that I had gastric bypass surgery May 31, 2002. It has been a blessing and a battle combined--weight loss surgery (WLS) is not something that should be undertaken lightly--it is NOT a magic pill or fix it fast solution--it is a decision one makes carefully because there are life long consequences. I have "known" from personally experience and from that of others that supplementation is ESSENTIAL for ANY WLS patient.

Surgeons are phenomenal at what they do and losing weight gives many of us our "lives back" but far too many surgeons do not know nutrition--the research out there just supports the fact that not much is known about post op life and nutrition. I came across this very recent article abstract in the May 2008 edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and it reinforces what I already know. I have experienced nutritional deficiency while taking 40+ vitamin pills a day and spending upwards of $250 a month trying to feel better. First, my surgeon, Dr. Alan Newhoff in Phoenix Arizona gave me the tool to get my life back--for that I am eternally eternally grateful---It wasn't until I changed my Vitamins that I have the vitality to now LIVE. Thank you BK Boreyko for this amazing product.

Below is my synopsis of the article, with appropriate citations given (best rendition of APA style this forum allows me--of course since I just finished my Scholarly Paper for my Master's Degree Project--hence the graduation photo's in the slideshow). I also moderate a yahoo group for WLS patients in the northern Arizona, southern Nevada area, shoot me a comment and I'll send you the link.
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Nutritional Deficiencies After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass For Morbid Obesity Often Cannot Be Prevented By Standard Multivitamin Supplementation

A study just published in the May 2008 edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that following gastric bypass surgery, nutritional deficiencies are very common and occur despite supplementation with standard multivitamin supplementation (Gasteyger, Suter, Gaillard, & Giusti, 2008). The study looked at 137 gastric bypass recipients 2 years post surgery and found that starting in month three, patients required at least one supplement in addition to the multivitamin. Common deficiencies found included B-12, Iron, Calcium, Vitamin D and Folic Acid. After one year, 59% of the participants needed additional supplements, and this increased to 98% at the 2 year mark. Although less commonly identified, the authors found deficiencies in thiamine, magnesium, B-6 and zinc (Decker, Swain, Crowell, & Scolapio, 2007; Gasteyger et al., 2008).

Gasteyger et al. concluded that further research is needed to better care and treat nutritional deficiencies following gastric bypass surgery and that the current multivitamin supplementation protocol is not sufficient for preventing nutritional deficiencies. They also recommended further study as well as routine blood lab work to identify deficiencies earlier.

References

Gasteyger, C., Suter, M., Gaillard, M., and Giusti, V. (2008).Nutritional
Deficiencies after Roux-en-Y gastricbypass for morbid obesity often cannot be prevented by standard multivitamin supplementation [Electronic version]. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (87), (5), 1128-1133.

Decker, G.A., Swain, J.M., Crowell, M.D., and Scolapio, J.S. (2007).Gastrointestinal and nutritional complications after bariatric surgery [Electronic version]. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 102 (11), 2571-2580.