Artificial intelligence chatbots for the nutrition management of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome

Background: Recently, there has been a growing interest in exploring AI-driven chatbots, such as ChatGPT, as a resource for disease management and education. Objective: The study aims to evaluate ChatGPT’s accuracy and quality/clarity in providing nutritional management for Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM), the Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components, in accordance with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ guidelines. Methods: Three nutrition management-related domains were considered: (1) Dietary management, (2) Nutrition care process (NCP) and (3) Menu planning (1500 kcal). A total of 63 prompts were used. Two experienced dietitians evaluated the chatbot output’s concordance with the guidelines. Results: Both dietitians provided similar assessments for most conditions examined in the study. Gaps in the ChatGPT-derived outputs were identified and included weight loss recommendations, energy deficit, anthropometric assessment, specific nutrients of concern and the adoption of specific dietary interventions. Gaps in physical activity recommendations were also observed, highlighting ChatGPT’s limitations in providing holistic lifestyle interventions. Within the NCP, the generated output provided incomplete examples of diagnostic documentation statements and had significant gaps in the monitoring and evaluation step. In the 1500 kcal one-day menus, the amounts of carbohydrates, fat, vitamin D and calcium were discordant with dietary recommendations. Regarding clarity, dietitians rated the output as either good or excellent. Conclusion: Although ChatGPT is an increasingly available resource for practitioners, users are encouraged to consider the gaps identified in this study in the dietary management of T2DM and the MetS.