Metabolic impact of high lipid low dextrose parenteral nutrition

Parenteral nutrition (PN) containing 100% soybean oil lipids and high amounts of dextrose may lead to liver dysfunction and hyperglycemia. Mixed lipids have less pro-inflammatory components, so higher doses may be given to decrease the amount of dextrose provided. The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive analysis of patients who received PN with high mixed lipid and low dextrose content versus PN with lower 100% soybean oil lipid and high dextrose content.

We retrospectively reviewed 62 patients aged ≥18 years receiving PN ≥ 7 days from 2016 to 2021 in an acute care hospital. Participants were divided into two groups: high lipid low dextrose (HLLD) containing a four-oil lipid (>30% kcal or ≥1 g/kg) vs adequate lipid high dextrose (ALHD) containing a 100% soybean oil lipid (<30% kcal or <1 g/kg SO-ILE).

Patients in the HLLD group (n = 31) had 64.1% lower incidence of blood glucose levels >180 mg/dL, decreased insulin requirements, 52.7% lower alkaline phosphatase levels, 40.6% higher prealbumin levels, and 42.6% lower c-reactive protein levels while maintaining similar calorie targets compared to the ALHD group (n = 31).

Changing from 100% soybean oil to a mixed lipid in PN is helpful to reduce soybean oil intake. However, it is also important to increase the mixed lipid dose to decrease the amount of dextrose provided. PNs containing higher amounts of mixed lipids (40-45% kcal) with lower amounts of dextrose (20-30% kcal) may have clinical benefits that warrant further exploration.