As explained by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, gastric bypass patients don’t absorb vitamins very well because parts of their small intestines have been bypassed and that is where most vitamins are absorbed. To make up for the missed nutrients, they need to take a number of vitamin supplements every day. I had my gastric bypass surgery a little over three years ago, and I currently take 20 different vitamin pills every day!
It can be complicated to take that many vitamins, because some should not be taken together and some should be taken together. For instance, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reports that calcium and iron should not be taken at the same time because calcium blocks the absorption of iron. However, vitamin C and iron should be taken together because vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron, as reported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. My bariatric surgeon and registered dietician helped me work out a vitamin schedule and I thought I would share a couple sample schedules with you in case you are overwhelmed like I was with so many vitamins to take.
These sample schedules include the vitamins recommended by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Your surgeon or registered dietician may recommend additional vitamins based on your needs. If so, ask them to help you if you’re not sure where to fit them into your schedule.
Schedule number one:
This is the vitamin schedule I think is easiest:
Breakfast – multivitamin, 500 mg calcium citrate, vitamin B12, B complex (if you take that), vitamin D3 (if you take that)
Lunch – 500 mg calcium citrate (take your vitamin D3 here too if you want to spread the pills out more and have less to take with breakfast)
Dinner – multivitamin, 500 mg calcium citrate
Bedtime – iron, vitamin C
Yes, if you have iron in your multivitamin and you take your multivitamin with calcium, you won’t absorb that iron. But if you’re taking iron at bedtime, that’s OK.
Schedule number two:
Your other option would be a schedule like this, if you do have iron in your multivitamin and you want to absorb it:
Breakfast – multivitamin, vitamin B12, B complex (if you take that), vitamin D3 (if you take that)
Lunch – 500 mg calcium citrate (take your vitamin D3 here too if you want to spread the pills out more and have less to take with breakfast)
Snack – 500 mg calcium citrate
Dinner – multivitamin, iron, vitamin C
Bedtime – 500 mg calcium citrate
Sources:
Bariatric Nutrition. http://nutrition.otago.ac.nz/__data/assets/file/0005/4784/BariatricNutritionReading.pdf. Suggestions for the Surgical Weight Loss Patient.
Journey to a Healthier Me. http://pamtremble.blogspot.com/2008/05/where-are-nutrients-absorbed.html. Where are Nutrients Absorbed?
The National Center for Biotechnology Information. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2507689. The Role of Vitamin C in Iron Absorption.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcrminerals.html. Optimizing Your Diet.