A recent study by a university's Department of Nutrition and Dietetics has revealed that AI-generated diet plans carry risks that may negatively affect adolescents' development. The research was published in the international journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
The study, conducted by Dr. Ayşe Betül Demirbaş Bilen and Dr. Gülen Ecem Kalkan, compared diets created by AI chat systems with those designed by dietitians following scientific guidelines. Researchers analyzed 60 three-day diet plans generated by five AI models for four standardized adolescent profiles, comparing them to reference plans from dietitians.
Results showed that AI diets often underestimated daily energy needs by about 700 kcal and caused imbalances in macronutrient distribution, with lower carbohydrates and higher protein and fat ratios.
Dr. Kalkan emphasized that adolescence is a critical period for growth and development, and such imbalanced nutrition models could have long-term negative health effects.
