Energy supply needs to meet the nutritional needs of the patient which include basal metabolic rate, physical activity, growth, diet induced thermogenesis and correction of pre-existing malnutrition. Excess energy intake may increase the risk of complications both in the short and longer term, such as hyperglycaemia which may increase the risks of complications such as infection, impaired liver function due to steatosis, or abnormal metabolic programming.
Inadequate energy supply may result in impaired growth, loss of body tissue including lean mass, sub-optimal motor, cognitive and behavioural development, and impaired immunity, and may also increase the risks of serious morbidity and mortality in infants and children.t is not possible to determine precise individual energy needs in clinical practice, because the outcomes of interest are multiple (growth, repair and support for functional outcomes) and cannot be determined in the short term. In clinical practice, it is impossible to determine whether energy intakes may be, for example, 10-20% above or below actual needs.