(Food-Beverage-News.Com, January 03, 2017 ) Clinical is referred as management of patients, both outpatients (at clinic) and inpatients (at hospital). Clinical nutrition in general term is known as nutrition for patients. Clinical nutrition main aim is to keep healthy nutrition balance of patients. Additionally, clinical nutrition keeps a check on providing a sufficient amount of nutrients to the patients such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Clinical nutrition products are externally provided to the patients who are unable to digest certain nutrients products. Clinical nutrition products help in improving metabolisms, digestion, absorption, transportation, storage and discharge of the human body.
On the basis of usage global clinical nutrition products market can be bifurcated into, infant nutrition (milk-based, soy-based, elemental, organic, probiotic and prebiotic, premature and newborn), external nutrition (standard and fiber-containing elemental and semi-elemental products) and parenteral nutrition (nutrition for disorders such as gastrointestinal, burns, extensive wounds, cancer and AIDS). External nutrition products are consumed orally by the patients such as nutritional drinks. Parenteral nutrition products are served to the patients through feeding tubes. Infant nutrition has the largest market share for clinical nutrition products, followed by external nutrition and parenteral nutrition. Infant nutrition is expected to lead the global clinical nutrition products market.
North America has the largest market share for clinical nutrition products, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The U.S. is the largest consumer of clinical nutrition products globally. North America is expected to maintain its dominance in the forecasted period. However, Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth in coming the future owing to increasing birth rate and aging population in the Asian countries such as Japan, China, and India.
Increasing consumer’s awareness about the importance of nutrition for health is driving the global clinical nutrition products market. Additionally, increasing birth rate paired with increasing aging population is expected to increase demand for clinical nutrition products in the global market. Also, developments in follow-up and organic nutrition products are expected to increase demand for clinical nutrition products in coming the future. With increasing disposable income, consumers are willing to pay more for better healthy nutritional product, driving the global clinical nutrition products market to some extent.
Global clinical nutrition products market is dominated by multinationals. However, there are some companies operating at regional label. Some of the major companies operating in the global clinical nutrition products market are Abbott Nutrition, Baxter International, Inc., Danone, American HomePatient, Inc., Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Inc., Nestle SA, H. J. Heinz Company, Hero Nutritionals Inc., Hospira Inc. and Gentiva Health Services Inc.
