Fats , vitamins and DS

Hi, I am currently waiting for my DS surgery date. I've been reading as much as I can on the topic and one thing that baffles me is how can we ingest so much fat and not wreak havoc to our coronary arteries????? Also, if we can not absorb vitamins through food, how is it absorbed through supplements. This may seem like a dumb question but I am new to this and I want as much info as possible. Thx ! p.s. this forum is soooooooo helpful!

It's called DS Math..

We only absorb 20% of the fat we eat (which means if you need 30 grams a day just to stay healthy, you have to actually eat 5 times that amount to get the 30 grams).

Oil based vitamins do not work for that reason. Ours have to be dry and we take quite a bit more than a normie would. Example, I take 2 multivitamins a day minimum...a normal adult would take one a day.

We work harder to get our vitamins and protein in than someone without surgery but the trade off is wonderful..I get to eat the way a good Southerner should...cooking with bacon grease!

My pre-op cholesterol was 230+ without help...I had been on lipitor for over 10 years. NOTHING I did made it go lower without help...it is genetically high. So post op, I am eating like a good DS'er (full fat foods) and my last cholesterol was 179 without any meds. My PCP is as happy as a clam with it.

wow, thx for info; the excess fat diet really scared me but your explanation makes sense to me now. 

Truly its amazing.  I eat red meat every day along with whole cheeses, lots of butter and eggs, and my cholesterol was 120 last checked.

Valerie, I think I will always be "high" for a DS'er...but still well within normal for my doctor! My dh (also a ds'er) who eats even more fat than I do (he needs more to avoid constipation) and HIS last cholesterol reading was all of 135.

What you don't absorb can't clog your arteries. My cholesterol is 112, and I eat bacon for breakfast nearly every day. (On the other days, I eat things like sausage. *grin*)

We DO absorb vitamins from food---we just can't possibly eat enough food to supply all the vitamins we need, once the malabsorption if factored in. This is especially true for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, since we're only absorbing 20% of the fat we eat.

I eat a crap ton of fat- far, far more than I ever ate before surgery.   Before surgery my cholesterol was 250.  3 months after my surgery my cholesterol was 150. 

I don't have time to read all the responses so forgive if I repeat.

Your cholesterol will FALL even if you eat a TON of fat.  Your short gut  will not allow for absorption of fat so it is almost like free food.  You absorb so little of it that you can eat all you want and still loose weight and still have low cholesterol.  My cholesterol went from like 199 to 113.  Amazing.

You do absorb some vitamins from food but not anywhere near enough to survive.  So you have to supplement with HUGE doses of the fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K) and also with other vitamins.  You should not take any vitamins in oil or gel as those won't be absorbed.

I follow VitaLady's plan tweaked per my labs.  The people here helped me with my vitamin tweaks because NONE of my doctors (including my surgeon) had a freakin' clue about what people with the DS need.  I get copies of my EXTENSIVE labs that I now do 2 times a year and study them and if I have any questions I ask here.  Labs are CRITICAL. 

So enjoy the fat, stay far away from carbs and the weight will fall off you like crazy.

~Becky

Thanks for all the replies!

it is not what you eat, but how your body uses what you eat, remember this as you will have to explain it many times to medical professionals.....a short gut will not absorb lipids as a normal person, your lipid profile will greatly improve to the fantastic point and your cardiac profile will be great, my cardiac profile is perfection,   you can eat all the fats you want as they are not absorbed, typical literature states about 20%, your configuration will dictate that, BUT remember there are no free rides in life, while your body does not absorb fats, those fats remain in the gut to be reabsorbed, which simplified cause increased oxalates (fatty acids+Ca>oxalates) which can cause kidney issues, which are common among us DSers, always take your Ca, each time you eat, to bind this up and have your 24 hr urine tested every 12 months-more often if there is an issue.

To answer your question about absorbing vitamins it does't matter if it is food or vitamins, but you have to understand for example VitD 50,000 IU/1 pill by biotech.  the volume of food you would have to consume is not something even 5 people could do, then multiple this by all the vit/min we need, the volume we would need to consume with vit concentration is not possible...