Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Preoperative correction of nutritional deficiencies is recommended to mitigate the increased risk of postoperative deficiencies, as surgery further impacts oral intake and absorption.
Before your surgery, get your blood work done. If you are low in iron, Vitamin D, or B12, your dietitian will help you correct it. This gives you the best possible starting point for recovery.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
As bariatric surgery impacts on oral intake and absorption, we recommend treatment and correction of deficiencies preoperatively.
Why this rating
Graded as Good Practice Point (GPP), indicating expert consensus rather than high-level trial data.
Source
British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society Guidelines on perioperative and postoperative biochemical monitoring and micronutrient replacement for patients undergoing bariatric surgery—2020 update
Mary O’Kane et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2020
DOI 10.1111/obr.13087
clinical_guidelineCited 315×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency is a medical emergency in bariatric patients presenting with rapid weight loss, vomiting, or neurological symptoms, requiring immediate treatment without waiting for blood test results.Moderate
- Postoperative monitoring of Vitamin B12, Iron, and Folate is critical because bariatric surgery (especially RYGB and BPD/DS) impairs absorption, leading to high rates of anemia and neurological damage if untreated.Limited
- Bariatric surgery procedures (SG, RYGB, BPD/DS) significantly increase the risk of micronutrient deficiencies due to reduced oral intake and malabsorption, necessitating lifelong biochemical monitoring and targeted supplementation.Weak
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