Recent advances: parenteral nutrition support.

Even though there is an abundance of research related to the clinical and physiologic effects of parenteral nutrition and specific nutritional substrates, few new products have been released for clinical use. This review illustrates some of the directions being taken in the future development of parenteral nutrition products and some new perspectives related to the current effects (or lack of effects) of TPN. When considering the individual effects of specific nutrient substrates (arginine, glutamine, LCTs, MCTs, SCFAs) as reviewed here, it becomes apparent that the infusion of parenteral nutrition has the potential to produce a variety of metabolic responses that could be both beneficial and harmful.