OBJECTIVES:  Interest in medical nutrition health economics is growing as governments face continued pressure to contain healthcare costs.  Medical nutrition is a cost-effective intervention for a variety of patient populations. This literature review summarizes global publication trends in medical nutrition health economics and identifies gaps in the body of evidence.  METHODS:  Relevant publications were identified using predetermined search criteria encompassing nutritional and health economic terms and multiple databases including Medline and Embase. Original studies which included subjects ≥ 18 years of age and published in English between January 2004 and October 2014 were included if they addressed both costs and clinical outcomes.  RESULTS:  From 5,646 unique results, 274 studies met the inclusion criteria. The number of publications increased over the inclusion period with studies conducted in developed countries exceeding those in developing countries by factors ranging from 2.7 in 2006 to 20 in 2010. The majority of studies were undertaken in Europe (39.4%) and the United States/Canada (27.7%).  Most of the studies (73.0%) included adults of all ages whereas a minority of studies (19.7%) included elderly (age 65+) only.  Many studies were conducted in multiple settings, with the hospital (62.0%) and community (29.9%) being the most common. Malnutrition, surgery, and gastrointestinal disorders were the most common conditions of interest in studies from developed countries, while micronutrient deficiencies and critical illness were the most common conditions of interest in studies from developing countries. The most prevalent interventions identified were oral nutrition supplements (12.0%) and parenteral nutrition (10.9%), while outcomes of interest were most frequently cost (53.3%), length of stay (47.8%), mortality (25.2%), or readmissions (8.7%).  CONCLUSIONS: This literature review demonstrates that interest in the cost effectiveness of medical nutrition has increased in recent years with the majority of studies focusing on cost and length of stay in adults of all ages.