Abstract: Objective To explore the effect of early enteral nutrition support on postoperative recovery in patients with gastric cancer. Methods One hundred and eighty gastric cancer patients admitted to the 901th hospital from October 2018 to October 2019 were selected as subjects.They were randomly divided into enteral nutrition group (n=90) and parenteral nutrition group (n=90).The nutrition status index,immune function index,and gastrointestinal function recovery status of the patients were observed at 1 day before surgery and 7 days after surgery. Results Among the 180 patients,101 were male (56.2%) and 79 were female (43.8%),with an average age of 59.0±10.5 years.There was no significant difference in body weight,total protein,and albumin between the two groups on the day before surgery (all P>0.05).The body weight (53.1±1.6kg vs 50.8±1.6kg),total protein (59.3±1.5kg vs 56.4±1.6kg) and albumin (37.5±1.7kg vs 35.1±1.2kg) of the enteral nutrition group were higher than those of the parenteral nutrition group at 7 days after operation,and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05).The IgA value (3.1±0.9g/L vs 1.9±0.6g/L) of the enteral nutrition group was significantly higher than that of the parenteral nutrition group at 7 days after operation (P<0.05).There was no significant difference in other immunological indicators (P>0.05).The time to passing gas (1.9±0.2d vs 2.6±0.2d),the time to pass stool (2.7±0.2d vs 3.2±0.8d),and hospitalization time (12.6±1.7d vs 15.4±1.6d) in the enteral group were shorter than those in the parenteral nutrition group,the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Early enteral nutrition is safe and effective for postoperative nutritional support for patients with gastric cancer,which can effectively promote gastrointestinal function recovery and improve nutritional status.