Multiple nutritional deficiencies are pervasive in this preoperative bariatric cohort, according to a study published in Obesity Surgery.
Here are five insights:
1. Researchers at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University performed nutritional assessments in 58 adult patients scheduled to undergo bariatric surgery at the hospital.
2. They analyzed blood levels of vitamins A, B12, D and E, as well as iron, folate and thiamine.
3. One in five patients had three or more deficiencies.
4. The most prevalent were subpar levels of iron in 36 percent of patients and vitamin D in 71 percent.
5. These findings suggest that a nutritional workup should also be part of the presurgical care, according to the researchers.
