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AI-Generated Meal Plans for Teens Often Lack Essential Nutrients and Calories
Five popular AI chatbots underestimated calories by about 695 kcal/day in teen meal plans, risking growth impairment and disordered eating, researchers found.
- Published Thursday, the study from Istanbul Atlas University found five free AI models recommend meal plans so low in calories and nutrients that they could stunt teen growth.
- Researchers asked five free AI chatbots—ChatGPT 4, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude 4.1, Bing Chat-5GPT, and Perplexity—to generate three-day meal plans for four hypothetical 15-year-olds, then compared them with dietitian plans across 60 daily menus.
- On average, the AI-generated plans were about 695 calories below dietitian plans, with about 115 grams fewer carbohydrates and roughly 21–24% protein and 41–45% fats.
- Experts warned that restrictive or unbalanced diets during adolescence can interfere with growth, bone development and brain development, and two independent registered dietitians who reviewed the study agreed.
- With 64 of U.S. teens using AI chatbots, researchers caution that prompts weren’t written by teens, so more research is needed to assess real-world use.
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The IndependentReposted by 
The Independent (US)
The Independent (US)Teens are receiving dangerous eating advice from AI chatbots, study says
Experts are cautioning teenagers against using AI for weight loss advice
·London, United Kingdom
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AI meal plans for teens may undercount calories by nearly 700, study suggests
Many teens dealing with weight issues are turning to AI models to help them create meal plans with the aim of losing weight. But a new study shows that the resulting plans may not always adequately cover necessary nutrients and calorie intake.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Center
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources are Center
45% Center
L 33%
C 45%
R 22%
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