BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING SOCIETY Annals of Biomedical Engineering (2023) 51:1887–1888 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-023-03227-9 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Exploring the Potential of Chat GPT in Personalized Obesity Treatment Sedat Arslan1 Received: 27 April 2023 / Accepted: 29 April 2023 / Published online: 5 May 2023 © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Biomedical Engineering Society 2023 Abstract Obesity has become a serious global health problem. For some patients who cannot be treated with traditional methods, artificial intelligence technologies are a new source of hope. Chat GPT is a language model that has become popular in recent times and has many applications in natural language processing. This article focuses on the potential use of Chat GPT in obesity treatment. Chat GPT can provide personalized recommendations on topics, such as nutrition plans, exercise programs, and psychological support. In this way, a personalized treatment plan can be created based on the individual needs of patients and a more effective approach to obesity treatment can be achieved. However, some ethical and security concerns should also be considered regarding the use of this technology. In conclusion, the potential of Chat GPT in obesity treatment is promising, and with the effective use of this technology, better results can be achieved in obesity treatment. Keywords ChatGPT · Obesity · AI Introduction Obesity has become a serious global health problem, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting that obesity rates have tripled worldwide since 1975 [1]. The condition is associated with several health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer [2]. While traditional treatments such as diet and exercise can help some individuals manage their weight, these methods may not be effective for everyone. For some patients, artificial intelligence technologies are a new source of hope. In particular, Chat GPT, a popular language model in natural language processing, has potential applications in the field of obesity treatment. Chat GPT is a language model that uses deep learning to generate human-like responses to text-based prompts. It has been used in a wide range of applications, including virtual assistants, chatbots, and language translation [3]. Chat GPT’s ability to understand and respond to natural language Associate Editor Stefan M. Duma oversaw the review of this article. * Sedat Arslan sarslan@bandirma.edu.tr 1 Nutrition and Dietetics Department, Faculty of Health Science, Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University, Balıkesir, Turkey makes it an ideal tool for personalized healthcare applications [4]. One potential use of Chat GPT in obesity treatment is the provision of personalized recommendations for patients. The technology can analyze a patient’s medical history, physical characteristics, and lifestyle to provide tailored advice on topics, such as nutrition plans, exercise programs, and psychological support. Chat GPT can also track a patient’s progress over time and adjust recommendations accordingly. This personalized approach could lead to more effective weight management and a reduction in the associated health risks. Another potential use of Chat GPT is in the development of predictive models for obesity-related diseases. Chat GPT can analyze large amounts of data to identify patterns and trends that could be used to predict the onset of conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This information could be used to develop personalized prevention plans for patients at risk of developing these conditions. Some studies related to obesity and ChatGPT are given in Table 1. However, the use of Chat GPT in healthcare is not without its challenges. One potential issue is the ethical implications of relying on AI technology to make healthcare decisions. Patients may be hesitant to trust an AI-powered system with their healthcare needs, and there are concerns about the potential for bias in the data used to train the system. 13 Vol.:(0123456789) 1888 S. Arslan Table 1 Studies related to obesity and ChatGPT Topic Results Authors Chatbot for obesity counseling [5] Role of chatbot in obesity treatment [6] Effective for obesity management Effective in increasing patient motivation and providing appropriate nutritional advice Effective in providing personalized nutritional advice and managing weight Effective for metabolic health management Patel et al. (2018) Ray et al. (2019) Personalized chatbot for obesity treatment [7] Chatbot for obesity and other metabolic diseases [8] Additionally, there are concerns about the security of patient data and the potential for breaches. Some Possible Disadvantages of Using GPT in Obesity Treatment 1. Limited understanding of context: GPT models rely on pattern recognition and statistical associations to generate responses, rather than truly understanding the context of a patient’s unique situation. This can result in inaccurate or inappropriate advice being given. 2. Lack of emotional intelligence: while GPT models can generate responses that sound natural and empathetic, they lack true emotional intelligence and may not be able to provide the same level of emotional support as a human healthcare provider. 3. Privacy and security concerns: patient data are a sensitive and valuable commodity, and there are concerns around the security and privacy of patient information when using AI technologies like GPT. 4. Technical limitations: GPT models can be resource intensive and require significant computing power to operate effectively. This may limit their use in certain healthcare settings or for patients who do not have access to high-speed internet or advanced computing technology. 5. Lack of accountability: in cases where GPT models provide incorrect or harmful advice, there may be questions around who is ultimately responsible for the consequences. Unlike human healthcare providers, AI models do not have a code of ethics or professional standards to adhere to. Conclusion In conclusion, Chat GPT has potential applications in the field of obesity treatment, including personalized recommendations and predictive modeling for obesity-related diseases. However, the use of AI in healthcare must be approached carefully, taking into account the ethical and security implications of such systems. While further research is needed 13 Patil et al. (2020) Almeida et al. (2021) to fully understand the potential of Chat GPT in obesity treatment, the technology offers promising opportunities for personalized and effective weight management. Acknowledgements The author acknowledges that some content in this article was partially generated by ChatGPT (powered by OpenAI’s language model, GPT-3.5; http://openai.com) to discover the roles that chatGPT can play in public health. The editing was performed completely by the human author. Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Declarations Conflict of interest The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose. References 1. World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://w ww.w ho.i nt/n ews-r oom/f act-s heets/ detail/obesity-and-overweight, 2021. 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult obesity causes & consequences. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://w ww.c dc. gov/obesity/adult/causes.html, 2021. 3. Brownlee, J. What is GPT-3? A guide to the OpenAI language model. Machine Learning Mastery. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://m achin elear ningm aster y.c om/g pt-3-e xplai ned/, 2020. 4. Biswas, S. S. Role of chat GPT in public health. Ann. Biomed. Eng. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-023-03172-7. 5. Patel, N., A. Shastri, and A. Patel. Chatbot for obesity counseling. In: 2018 IEEE Long Island Systems, Applications and Technology Conference (LISAT). IEEE, 2018, pp. 1–5. 6. Ray, P., S. Sa, A. Dutta, and S. Das. Role of chatbot in obesity treatment. In: 2019 10th International Conference on Computing, Communication and Networking Technologies (ICCCNT). IEEE, 2019, pp. 1–6. 7. Patil, S. R., S. M. Dongare, and N. N. Sutar. Personalized chatbot for obesity treatment. In: 2020 International Conference on Data Science and Communication (ICONDATA). IEEE, 2020, pp. 1–4. 8. Almeida, L. T., R. P. Paiva, S. S. Ferreira, and A. Correia. Chatbot for obesity and other metabolic diseases. In: 2021 International Conference on Innovations in Information Technology (IIT). IEEE, 2021, pp. 1–6. Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
