Enhanced Medical Nutrition

Enhanced Medical Nutrition (EMN) is a food-as-medicine company operating in the healthcare sector, specifically focusing on surgical patient outcomes through nutritional intervention. Founded in 2016 by Eric Zimmerman and Timothy Ormond, the Toronto-based company develops and commercializes evidence-based medical food products designed to help patients prepare for and recover from surgery. The business model centers on providing these products to patients, often through recommendations from their surgeons, with an initial focus on orthopedic surgery and plans to expand into cardiac and cancer surgeries.

EMN's flagship product is ENROUTE®, a complete surgical nutrition program. This four-week regimen, used two weeks before and two after surgery, consists of two patented, multi-nutrient drink formulas intended to manage the unique metabolic and physiological demands of a surgical event. The 'BUILD' formula contains protein, creatine, calcium, and vitamin D to maintain muscle mass and support bone health, while the 'PREPARE' formula is a complex carbohydrate blend to ready the body for the procedure. The program aims to reduce complication risks, promote wound healing, enhance immune function, and accelerate overall recovery. ENROUTE® is available in various flavors and dairy or plant-based options, and can only be acquired through a surgeon's recommendation. Another key product is ISOlution®, a clinical-grade, unflavored whey protein isolate powder designed to help patients with high protein requirements. It can be mixed into foods and drinks or administered via a feeding tube and contains a high concentration of leucine, an amino acid vital for stimulating muscle growth.

The company has achieved several financial milestones, signaling investor confidence in its approach. In February 2019, EMN secured a $1.2 million seed round to support commercial operations in North America and Southeast Asia. This was followed by a pre-Series A financing round in October 2023 with investors including dsm-firmenich Venturing and The Kale Fund. In January 2025, the company announced an oversubscribed $5 million Series A round, co-led by dsm-firmenich Venturing and the corporate venture arm of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., with participation from PeakBridge and others. These funds are earmarked for scaling the North American expansion of the ENROUTE® program.

Keywords: surgical nutrition, medical food, food-as-medicine, perioperative care, patient outcomes, orthopedic surgery recovery, post-operative recovery, preoperative nutrition, clinical nutrition, muscle metabolism, immune support nutrition, ENROUTE program, ISOlution protein, Eric Zimmerman, Ajinomoto, dsm-firmenich, surgical protocols, healthcare nutrition, patient optimization, evidence-based nutrition