Teenagers turning to artificial intelligence for diet advice may be putting their health at risk, after a new study suggested that chatbot-generated meal plans can fall well short of recommended calorie and nutrient levels. Young people are increasingly using AI tools, including chatbots, to seek personalised nutrition guidance and weight-loss plans. However, researchers have warned that the advice produced is not always suitable for adolescents, particularly during a stage of life when growth and development require careful nutritional balance.
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According to the study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, meal plans produced by several popular AI models regularly underestimated teenagers’ energy needs and failed to provide an appropriate balance of nutrients.
Ayşe Betül Bilen, one of the study’s authors, said the findings showed that AI-generated plans often supplied far less energy and fewer essential nutrients than plans prepared by a qualified dietitian using established clinical guidelines. She warned that following overly restrictive diets during adolescence could harm growth, metabolic health and long-term eating habits.
For the research, scientists asked free versions of ChatGPT 4, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Perplexity, Bing Chat-5GPT and Claude 4.1 to produce diet plans for four 15-year-olds. The group included boys and girls classed within the overweight and obese percentiles.
Those plans were then assessed against meal plans created by a dietitian specialising in adolescent health. On average, the AI tools underestimated daily energy requirements by nearly 700 calories — roughly the equivalent of missing an entire meal.
Researchers said the scale of the gap could have serious clinical implications. Although calorie levels were found to be significantly too low, some macronutrients were suggested in excess. In particular, the AI models tended to recommend protein intake around 20 grams higher than the dietitian advised. Dr Bilen said the chatbot-generated plans repeatedly strayed from the recommended macronutrient balance, a problem she described as especially concerning for teenagers.
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The findings add to growing questions over the reliability of AI-generated health advice, particularly when used without professional oversight. While such tools may offer convenience, the study suggests they are not yet a safe substitute for expert dietary guidance in adolescence.
