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AI Chatbots Shortchange Teens on Calories in Weight-Loss Meal Plans, Study Finds

Experts warn unsupervised diet plans at this age can harm growth, with elevated risks for disordered eating.

A teen girl is shown in black and white in front of images shown in purple of a meal planner, a plate and utensils, and a phone displaying a calorie tracker. She types on her phone to a chatbot. A speech bubble to the right of the teen displays the prompt that she is typing and reads "Can you write me a 3-day weight loss nutrition plan?"
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Overview

  • Researchers tested five free tools—ChatGPT 4/4o, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude 4.1, Bing Chat-5GPT and Perplexity—by generating three-day plans for four hypothetical 15-year-olds and comparing them with a dietitian’s guidance.
  • AI plans averaged about 695–700 fewer calories per day than the dietitian’s plans, roughly the equivalent of skipping a full meal.
  • Outputs showed systematic macronutrient shifts toward higher fats (41–45% of energy) and protein (21–24%, about 20 g more), with markedly lower carbohydrates (32–36%, about 115 g fewer) than guideline targets.
  • Public-health and nutrition experts caution that such restrictive, imbalanced plans can impair growth, bone health and hormonal function, and may heighten risks like Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport for teen athletes.
  • The study used current free versions and researcher-crafted prompts, and authors urge guideline-aligned design, professional oversight and research into real-world teen use as surveys show heavy youth reliance on chatbots.