title: Enteral nutrition versus parenteral nutrition--the risks and benefits.
abstract: The role of nutrition in patient care became a part of mainstream medicine at about the end of the 1960s, with the publication of several papers that showed a benefit of nutritional support in the prevention of complications. At that time, the emphasis was on nutrition given by the parenteral route. Since then, a series of studies that compared parenteral nutrition with enteral nutrition have suggested that the enteral route of feeding causes fewer complications than the parenteral route. A careful review of the data shows that nutritional support can increase the risk of complications when given to well-nourished, obese and hyperglycemic patients. The avoidance of overfeeding and hyperglycemia is, therefore, of paramount importance. In this context, enteral nutrition, for which gastrointestinal tolerance limits overfeeding, can protect the patient.
authors.affiliation: 16 Cardinal Carter Wing, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. khushjeejeebhoy@compuserve.com
authors.forename: Khursheed N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Jeejeebhoy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003422:Critical Care; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D002149:Energy Intake; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome