Stuff to know about vitamin A
I’m assuming we all know we need vitamin A. Like other vitamins, we don’t absorb it real well after RNY, especially ‘cause it’s a fat soluble vitamin and we don’t absorb fats so well anymore. We need vitamin A to make red blood cells, for our eyesight, and for a healthy immune system. If you get pregnant, you also need it for the baby to grow and develop properly.
Vitamin A deficiency is a problem after RNY for a couple reasons. One, we just don’t absorb it too well. Two, many multivitamins contain something called betacarotene for their source of vitamin A. Betacarotene isn’t exactly vitamin A, we have to convert it to vitamin A in our bodies. Only adults don’t covert it well for some reason. Kids convert it better. Also, you need lots of stomach acid to absorb betacarotene but we don’t have much stomach acid. We do much better with retinyl palmitate or retinyl acetate in a supplement. Many multis have a combo of betacarotene and one of the retinyls, so we might only absorb some of the vitamin A in our multi.
Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency include night vision, then other problems with eyesight, dry itchy eyes, dry cracked lips, very dry skin and getting sick easily. Usually your level is pretty seriously low before you start having symptoms though. That’s why we need to get our vitamin A level checked along with other labs on a regular basis. Some docs don’t check vitamin A routinely for some reason, so you may need to ask yours to order that test when you get labs done.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
on 6/5/11 1:19 am - Niceville, FL
I just like learning things and I'm very interested in health and nutrition and I feel it's important to educate myself about stuff that has a big affect on my, like WLS.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
