AI Calorie-Tracking Apps Found to Underestimate Meal Calories by 345 on Average
Recent research has revealed that AI-powered calorie-tracking apps, which estimate nutritional content from food photographs, may significantly underestimate the calories in meals. A study conducted by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) tested four popular apps—MyFitnessPal, LoseIt!, CalAI, and Appediet—using meals prepared in a controlled metabolic kitchen. The findings, presented at the NUTRITION 2026 conference, showed that these apps underestimated calorie content by 250 to 345 calories per meal on average. The apps also consistently underestimated fat content by about 30 grams. The study highlights the challenges these apps face, particularly with meals from low-carb ketogenic diets, which tend to have higher fat content.