Protein and Bariatric Surgery

Posted: Sep 08 in Post-Bariatric Diet by

There’s a reason why protein is an important component of a healthy diet; it is part of every cell, tissue and organ in the human body. As such, it needs to be continuously replaced through nutritional sources, like fish, meat, poultry, eggs, nuts, beans, and dairy products, or in some cases protein supplements. Although obesity surgery in Naples helps the bariatric surgery patient lose weight, it can also make it more challenging to take in adequate protein due to restricted food intake or malabsorption issues.

Restrictive obesity surgery procedures, like the adjustable gastric band procedure, decrease the size of the stomach in an effort to limit food consumption. Other bariatric surgery procedures block certain calories from being absorbed. Some procedures, such as the gastric bypass, reduce the size of the stomach while also rearranging the digestive system. Therefore, the gastric bypass procedure not only restricts food intake, but blocks calorie absorption.

Required Amount of Protein

While most healthy adults require about 50g of protein per day, obesity surgery patients require at least 60g to 80g of protein every day in order to remain healthy. Muscle wasting, anemia, hair loss, and weakness all are serious conditions associated with a prolonged protein deficiency.

Protein Levels Calculation

Determining your daily intake goal of protein requires a simple calculation. Take your ideal body weight (specified in kilograms) and multiply it by 1.0 to 1.5g. For example, if your ideal body weight is 140 lbs (or 63.6 kilograms), you’ll need about 64 to 95g of protein each day. Gastric bypass surgery patients need approximately 1.1g per 1g of ideal body weight to prevent a protein deficiency.

 

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