Lipids have multiple physiological roles that are biologically vital. Soybean oil lipid emulsions have been the mainstay of parenteral nutrition lipid formulations for decades in North America. Utilizing intravenous lipid emulsions in parenteral nutrition has minimized the dependence on dextrose as a major source of nonprotein calories and prevents the clinical consequences of essential fatty acid deficiency. Emerging literature has indicated that there are benefits to utilizing alternative lipids such as olive/soy-based formulations, and combination lipids such as soy/MCT/olive/fish oil, compared with soybean based lipids, as they have less inflammatory properties, are immune modulating, have higher antioxidant content, decrease risk of cholestasis, and improve clinical outcomes in certain subgroups of patients. The objective of this article is to review the history of IVLE, their composition, the different generations of widely available IVLE, the variables to consider when selecting lipids, and the complications of IVLE and how to minimize them.

Background: A primary goal of education is to promote long-term knowledge storage and retrieval. Objective: A prospective interventional study design was used to investigate our research question: Does a dispersed curriculum promote better short- and long-term retention over a massed course? Methods: Participants included 20 gastroenterology residents from the University of Calgary (N = 10) and University of Toronto (N = 10). Participants completed a baseline test of nutrition knowledge. The nutrition course was imparted to University of Calgary residents for 4 h occurring 1 h weekly over 4 consecutive weeks: dispersed delivery (DD). At the University of Toronto the course was taught in one 4h academic half-day: massed delivery (MD). Post-curriculum tests were administered at 1 week and 3 months to assess knowledge retention. Results: The baseline scores were 46.39 ± 6.14% and 53.75 ± 10.69% in the DD and MD groups, respectively. The 1 week post-test scores for the DD and MD groups were 81.67 ± 8.57%, p < 0.001 and 78.75 ± 4.43, p < 0.001 which was significantly higher than baseline. The 3-month score was significantly higher in the DD group, but not in the MD group (65.28 ± 9.88%, p = 0.02 vs. 58.93 ± 12.06%, p = 0.18). The absolute pre-test to 1-week post-test difference was significantly higher at 35.28 ± 7.65% among participants in the DD group compared to 25.0 ± 11.80% in the MD group, p = 0.048. Similarly, the absolute pre-test to 3-month post-test difference was significantly higher at 18.9 ± 6.7% among the participants in the DD group, compared to 6.8 ± 11.8% in the MD group, p = 0.021. Conclusions: Long-term nutrition knowledge is improved with DD compared with MD.

Poor dietary composition is an important factor in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The majority of NAFLD patients follow diets with overconsumption of simple carbohydrates, total and saturated fat, with reduced intake of dietary fiber and omega-3 rich foods. Although lifestyle modifications including weight loss and exercise remain the keystone of NAFLD management, modifying dietary composition with or without a calorie-restricted diet may also be a feasible and sustainable strategy for NAFLD treatment. In the present review article, we highlight the potential therapeutic role of a “high quality healthy diet” to improve hepatic steatosis and metabolic dysfunction in patients with NAFLD, independent of caloric restriction and weight loss. We provide a literature review evaluating the evidence behind dietary components including fiber-, meat- and omega-3-rich diets and, pending further evidence, we concur with the EASL-EASD-EASO Clinical Guidelines recommendation of the Mediterranean diet as the diet of choice in these patients.