Nutritional Treatment Options for Mild to Moderate Pancreatitis Although a growing number of studies suggest that early application of enteral nutrition may provide additional benefits for patients with acute pancreatitis, parenteral nutrition remains the current standard and widely used method of nutritional support for patients with acute pancreatitis. However, in terms of its effectiveness in improving the nutritional status of patients, it is indeed disappointing. In several larger clinical studies, parenteral nutrition in patients with acute pancreatitis did not appear to provide clinical prognostic benefit compared to those who were not given parenteral nutrition. Moreover, the incidence of catheter-related infections was significantly increased. In a study comparing early versus late support, early parenteral nutrition support only tended to reduce mortality and the need for surgery without a clear benefit. Moreover, catheter-related sepsis, severe hyperglycemia and some metabolism-related complications have been reported with parenteral nutrition. In particular, some patients with mild pancreatitis, with short fasting periods, do not need to be given long-term parenteral nutrition.