Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems doing tasks that usually need human intelligence. AI is constantly changing and is revolutionizing the healthcare field, including nutrition. This review’s purpose is four-fold: (i) to investigate AI’s role in nutrition research; (ii) to identify areas in nutrition using AI; (iii) to understand AI’s future potential impact; (iv) to investigate possible concerns about AI’s use in nutrition research. Eight databases were searched: PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Agricola, Scopus, IEEE Explore, Google Scholar and Cochrane. A total of 1737 articles were retrieved, of which 22 were included in the review. Article screening phases included duplicates elimination, title-abstract selection, full-text review, and quality assessment. The key findings indicated AI’s role in nutrition is at a developmental stage, focusing mainly on dietary assessment and less on malnutrition prediction, lifestyle interventions, and diet-related diseases comprehension. Clinical research is needed to determine AI’s intervention efficacy. The ethics of AI use, a main concern, remains unresolved and needs to be considered for collateral damage prevention to certain populations. The studies’ heterogeneity in this review limited the focus on specific nutritional areas. Future research should prioritize specialized reviews in nutrition and dieting for a deeper understanding of AI’s potential in human nutrition.

Sorghum is a nutritious, healthy, gluten-free whole grain, with the United States (U.S.) leading its production globally. While sorghum is consumed worldwide, it is mainly used for animal feed and biofuel in the U.S. Organoleptic characteristics and consumers’ perceptions determine food acceptance and eating behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the acceptance of and eating and purchase intentions toward sorghum-based foods among college students in a southern university in the U.S. Eighty-three students participated in a series of sensory evaluations using two sets of four sorghum samples each and a 15 min break. Seven sensory attributes were evaluated with a nine-point hedonic scale, and a five-point scale was used for eating and purchase intentions. To assess the panelists’ acceptance, the overall acceptance scale score (range: 1–9) was normalized (range: 0–100) and used for analyses. Spiced sorghum cookies (77.95 ± 14.23) had the highest acceptance, followed by sorghum shrimp grits (74.51 ± 19.42). Overall acceptance, eating intention, and purchase intention were strongly associated across all food items, although the strength differed by food type. Sorghum-based foods were accepted despite the participants’ lack of exposure to sorghum and its null consumption. These outcomes will help to develop innovative sorghum-based foods to facilitate sorghum consumption and benefit consumer health in the U.S.

In developing countries, women generate about 80% of food production and are in charge of cooking meals for their family. Despite their productivity and contribution in food production, they make up about 70% of the world’s impoverished population. In sub-Saharan Africa, women are more likely to face the triple burden of malnutrition when compared to males, and in South Africa, 42% of households were led by women in 2022. Soy is known for having the most complete nutritional characteristics among legumes capable of addressing the nutritional effects of malnutrition. Theory-based nutrition education is of extreme importance in areas where resources and healthcare personnel are scarce, as it empowers and provides people with knowledge, abilities, and motivation to adopt a healthier diet. When combined with a varied diet, soy consumption has advantages in addressing the adverse effects of malnutrition. Thus, the objective of this study was to inform women in the Vaal region of South Africa about the health benefits of soy and how to prepare soy-based foods. To this end, a registered dietitian implemented a nutrition education intervention with selected participants, and a validated questionnaire was used before and after the intervention to collect participants’ data. Pretest and posttest data were analysed along with sociodemographic information. Over 50% of the women were unemployed, and when asked about their frequency of soy consumption, more than 65% reported never eating soy. Most of the participants (95%) met the minimum dietary diversity score. There was no statistically significant change in the overall perception, knowledge, or self-efficacy total scores after the intervention. However, statistically significant (p = < 0.001) correlations were found between pre total knowledge score and the dietary diversity score, pre knowledge and knowledge about foods containing soy, and knowledge and use of soy for human consumption (ρ = .441, ρ =.614, and ρ = 0.615, respectively). The only statistical significance (p < 0.001) when knowledge questions were analysed separately was found for the change score related to knowledge of the health benefits of soy. Surprisingly, despite these correlations, when asked if they use soy-based foods in their house, 63.3% of participants said they do not use them. This may be explained by the fact that 41.7% reported feeling neutral about (neither disliking or liking) or disliking (21.7%) the taste of soy.

Objectives: The objective of this cross-sectional online survey was to determine university students’ knowledge about whole grain (WG), sorghum, and prediabetes risk. Methods: The survey included 45 items to learn about the students’ WG perception, practices, primary nutrition information source, and physical activity level (PAL). Recruitment was carried out using the university’s official email announcement and data was collected through Qualtrics. Two-hundred-and-forty-eight undergraduate and graduate students, aged 18–44 years, completed the questionnaire. Results: Sixty-three percent of the students were at risk of prediabetes based on the CDC Prediabetes Risk Test, a recommended screening tool by the National Diabetes Prevention Program. Compared to females, males were at a significantly higher risk of prediabetes and T2DM. Males had a mean ± sd score of 1.70 ± 0.93 versus females (0.64 ± 0.92), (t(246) = −9.07, p < 0.001). Participants scored low on overall knowledge (sorghum and WG combined) (4.21 ± 2.04), WG knowledge (2.82 ± 1.03) and sorghum knowledge (3.21 ± 1.23). Despite reporting a high PAL, less than half had a very good health status, with 45.2% of them having overweight or obesity. Social media was the main nutrition information source for 60% of participants. Logistic regression showed that students with obesity had almost four times greater odds compared to those with normal weight (OR = 3.97, 95% CI: 1.66–9.45, p = 0.002). Conclusions: These results have important public health implications, providing the rationale for our future research on a theory-based nutrition education intervention emphasizing sorghum consumption and metabolic effects on individuals with overweight and obesity, aiming to combat diet-related diseases.