Forget pills: the latest and most efficient way to take vitamins is with a spritz! So says the Beauty Insider for The Times Online health and beauty feature column.
Yes, vitamin sprays are the new and efficient alternative to pill popping and they’re perfect for bariatrics! Those patients who have trouble taking tablets, pills and capsules will particularly welcome these sprays since they are as simple to dispense as a breath-freshener. And, with just a spritz under the tongue, active ingredients can pass through the mouth’s delicate membranes directly into the bloodstream, neatly bypassing the stomach and intestines. You don’t require water to take them and because its an oral spray it doesn’t need to be taken with food.
Not only do the sprays guarantee a minimum level of absorption, they are also enjoyable to use and you can take them any time – so you rarely forget to take them (bonus!).
Absorption rates for bariatrics are much improved with sprays – this is because a traditional pill supplement requires your digestive system to be incredibly healthy (and certainly not compromised by surgery) to be optimally absorbed.
Some of my Facebook followers will know that a couple of months ago I expressed something of a daily weariness and many suggested that vitamin B12 might be the issue. I had my blood tests and sure enough there were downturns in some categories – although thankfully not enough to consider administering them as an invasive (and some times painful injection). I was relieved because, even though I am not needle phobic, I don’t seem to give blood easily and often end up with a very bruised and sore arm for a few days or more. So I embarked on a round of daily Vitamin D and B12 sprays in addition to my usual multi-vitamin, calcium citrate and easy iron supplements and the upturn has been nothing short of remarkable. My energy levels have soared, my attention span has increased and my new blood tests all confirm levels are back to the optimum normal range.
And whilst I still advocate that food first is still the best way to get your nutrition I strongly recommend these sprays to boost your chances of great bariatric health post-surgery.
I particularly like the Boost B12 Vitamin Oral Spray buy here. It has a lovely apricot flavour and each spray has enough for 40 days supply. Vitamin B12 is a notoriously difficult nutrient to absorb in the gut – at most only 1% of our dietary intake will be absorbed by the body so this supplement will prove invaluable. Little wonder its formula is award-winning see formulation and more details here.
And since Mother Nature, especially in the UK, can’t be relied upon to bring out the sun sufficiently to restore our Vitamin D levels (so that, as bariatrics, we can enjoy healthy bones, teeth and an efficient immune system) I recommend DLux 3000 Vitamin D Oral Spray. This handy peppermint-flavoured formulation has 3 month’s supply in a handy pocket spray buy here. Not surprising to find that it was voted Best All Round Supplement by Harper’s Bazaar (see formulation and more details here).
The way forward in supplementation is very exciting and can only be of greater benefit to those who have had weight-loss surgery and for whom supplementation is vital for great long-term health. It is one of our biggest challenges after bariatric surgery to get right. There may well come time when we can bathe in our multi-vitamins rather than swallow them – but for now these sprays offer the best alternative to a hard-to-swallow, cumbersome pill!
****Also featured in today’s Daily Mail****