We all have heard this dialogue ‘chhota packet bada dhamaka’. I always relate this to our micronutrients, ‘Vitamins and Minerals’, we all need them in tiny amounts in our diets for our bodies to function properly, but their insufficient intake may lead to bigger troubles. We need them in adequate amounts every day, so no questions ‘kab tak khane padenge??’.
When you eat a well balanced diet consisting of different varieties of foods you get most of them in reasonable amounts. Though, if you are deficient, unable to eat enough or undergoing some health condition like covid, pregnancy, lactation, surgical or medical recovery, then your demands are higher and you may need to supplement your diet with vitamin pills to bridge the gaps. However, there is no standard definition for a multivitamin supplement, hence, there are many brands and varieties available in the market knowns as over the counter (OTC) multivitamins.
People who undergo bariatric surgery are already low in vitamins and minerals, the most commonly seen are of iron, vitamin D, calcium, Vitamin B1 and B12. After undergoing bariatric or weight loss surgery, they become more prone to develop nutritional deficiencies, due to limited food intake and malabsorption associated with different surgical procedures. Together these factors can very much affect your vitamins and minerals status. Since, the absorption of vitamins and minerals is dependent on your surgery type, you need those vitamin and mineral supplements which are specially designed for bariatric surgery candidates. Bariatric-specific pills are better absorbed as these contain bariatric friendly salts, cause less irritation to your stomach and intestines, and help prevent vitamin deficiencies better than OTC multivitamins. Many bariatric-brands are available in the market, though not all are created equally, so be sure to discuss with your bariatric surgeon / dietician for the most suitable bariatric supplement for you and always remember that OTC vitamins do not provide adequate potency and salts of nutrients to prevent deficiencies in post-bariatric surgery candidates.
Bariatric-multivitamin tablets bridge the gap that might be missing in your daily diet to optimize your health. It’s important to take suggested vitamin and mineral supplements to stay hale and hearty in long term.
