[Structured lipids in nutritional support]

Currently there are many studies in international medical literature which show the effectiveness and safety of the different lipid emulsions existing on the market, both in clinical and experimental studies. When referring to lipid emulsions, we mean those based exclusively on LCT and those which provide physical combinations of LCT/MCT oils, and especially the new presentations of chemical combinations known as structured lipid emulsions. These structured lipids generated in a random structuring of LCT and MCT inside the same trialcylglycerol molecule should be considered not only from the standpoint of their nutrient effects, but also from the standpoint of their particular properties and future pharmacological possibilities. These exceed the nutrient effect itself as well as the tolerance, since they open up a field towards the intake of fatty acids, amino acids or drugs in one single molecule of triglyceride. Structured lipids also have great possibilities in the field of enteral nutrition, and it has been shown that the structuring of more conventional lipids with omega-3 series lipids has a great future in immuno-nutrition.