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Balancing cost, convenience, and quality with a bariatric vitamin regimen is one tricky feat. It seems that to get the most of one, we have to sacrifice another. Appealing to this concern, vitamin patches entered the market with a promise to deliver, but are they really effective?
The bottom line is there is not enough research yet to prove they work. In fact, the limited research available has actually shown that patches lead to more vitamin deficiency. In a small study, the vitamin patch group had more deficiencies than the oral supplement group.1 Despite the small study size, the results raise some concern, with 82.35% in the patch group having at least 1 deficiency compared to 40.74% in the pill group.1 Vitamin D deficiency was seen in 81% of patients in patch group versus 36% in the pill group. Lower serum concentrations of vitamin D, B1, and B12 were seen in the patch group.1
To better understand why the results favor oral supplements, let's take a quick refresher on what we know about digestion. The gastrointestinal tract is your body’s natural organ system for absorbing nutrients. It has all of the equipment and materials needed to break food down and pass nutrients to the blood and lymphatic system to be transported throughout the body. Optimizing this process is especially important after bariatric surgery, which is why using the highest quality forms of vitamins and avoiding nutrient interactions is so important.
Taking a practical approach, it just doesn't make sense that all of the vitamins and minerals needed in high concentrations after bariatric surgery would be better absorbed in any way besides through the digestive system. JoAnn Manson, DRPH, MD, Chief of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital (and Harvard professor) offers this insight: “My message for the public is ‘buyer beware.’ The evidence for nutrient absorption through the skin barrier is very limited, and many of the health-related claims are unsubstantiated. The companies need to provide proof for the claims.” 2
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