| abstract |
The present disclosure provides formulations and methods for delivering water-soluble and lipid-soluble nutrients for preventing or correcting nutrient deficiencies to subjects requiring small-volume nutritional support, such as preterm infants. The formulations may comprise an emulsion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) stabilized by a protein emulsifier, such as alpha-lactalbumin, and may further comprise other valuable nutrients, such as arachidonic acid (ARA), arginine, glutamine, arginyl-glutamine dipeptide and/or alanyl-glutamine dipeptide. The formulation is useful, for example, for correcting nutritional deficiencies by increasing a subject's intake of nutrients such as omega-3 or omega-6 long-chain polyunsaturated acids, proteins, peptides, vitamins, minerals, other fatty acids, and/or essential amino acids. The nutritional formulation is suitable for enteral delivery and small-volume delivery via nasogastric tube, intragastric feeding, transpyloric administration and/or any other means of administration that result in the introduction of the nutritional formulation into the digestive tract of a subject. |