Vitamin B-12 Deficiency: A Complication of Gastric Bypass

Thousands of Americans are severely obese. Sometimes the only hope an individual has for a normal life is to undergo a procedure such as a gastric bypass. Even though the Lap-band procedure is popular, the bypass still remains the most sought after, when diets just don't work. The benefits of the bypass clearly outweigh the risks for most people; that being said, there is a downside for some people, including myself.

For the last couple of years I have been noticing that I have been having memory loss. For the last year I was treated with the antidepressant, Welbutrin, in case my memory loss was linked to depression. I have not been depressed, but frustrated because I can't remember. I have aphasia at times where I cannot think of a word. I might be in conversation and then I can't think of the word for an object. One morning I wanted to say something about the telephone, I could see the phone in my mind, but could not find the word, so that I could say it. I am so forgetful that I went back to my doctor convinced that I had early onset Alzheimer's disease. My doctor sent me to a neurologist and ordered a lot of tests. The only alarming result was that my body has been depleted of Vitamin B-12.

The body is dependent on Vitamin B-12 and folic acid for normal red blood cell formation, repair and synthesis of DNA. B-12 is also necessary for the formation of myelin that forms the myelin sheath-the coating over the nerves of the brain and spinal cord. Normally 3 to 5 years worth of Vitamin B-12 is stored in the liver. It is synthesized in the stomach. Stomach acids react with the ingested protein foods in the stomach to isolate the B-12. Then a substance called intrinsic factor, (produced by specialized cells in the stomach lining) binds with the B-12 and then follows the digestive tract to the small intestine to be absorbed.