Published online Oct 28, 2022. doi: 10.35712/aig.v3.i4.105
Peer-review started: June 22, 2022
First decision: July 11, 2022
Revised: July 13, 2022
Accepted: October 26, 2022
Article in press: October 26, 2022
Published online: October 28, 2022
Approximately 27000 people a year die from liver cancer in Japan. Liver cancer from non-viral liver disease increases while cancerogenesis from viral liver decreases. In the non-viral liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increases in particular. Therefore, carcinogenesis restraint from NAFLD is urgent business to reduce liver cancer death. Diet therapy is the first choice for the treatment of NAFLD and nutrition education for this purpose becomes extremely important.
The authors paid attention to the nutrition education using the artificial intelligence and led to the idea of this study using the application software called the "Calomeal". The authors have the patients understand the importance of the diet by performing the nutrition education using the artificial intelligence for the NAFLD patients and want to help inhibit the cancerogenesis from NAFLD. A study on optimization of the nutrition education using the artificial intelligence (AI) for NAFLD is the attempt that leads the world and thinks with pioneer positioning of the future health promotion medical care.
Patients clinically diagnosed with NAFLD between August 2020 and March 2022 were included as subjects. "Calomeal" as a software application developed by Life Log Technology, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) was used for the nutrition education. Blood biochemistry tests were performed before (baseline) and 6 mo after (6M follow-up) dietary counseling. After the dietary counseling, the patients were asked to complete a questionnaire survey.
There were significant decreases in liver enzyme and triglyceride levels at the 6M follow-up compared to baseline. The food analysis capability of the AI used by Calomeal in this study was 75.1%. Patient satisfaction with the AI-based dietary counselling was high.
The authors have the patients understand the importance of the diet because the NAFLD patients receive a nutrition education using the artificial intelligence, and the purpose of this study is to carry a help of the cancerogenesis restraint.
When an AI-based nutrition management software application automatically analyzed images of meals photographed by NAFLD patients, liver function was improved significantly. On the other hand, due to the limitations of the food analysis capabilities of AI, improvements in the analytical capabilities of AI are much anticipated.
The direction of future research is nutrition education using more advanced artificial intelligence to inhibit the carcinogenesis from NAFLD.