Photo: VCG

A 120‑kilogram man lost 20 kilograms on an AI‑devised diet plan, yet the same algorithm, unable to gauge his physiological limits, contributed to multiple organ failures that sent him to the ICU and brought him to the brink of death, domestic media outlet Sichuan Daily reported.

Chen is a 34-year-old content creator whose job requires him to routinely stay up late and maintain a high-fat, high-salt diet. This unhealthy lifestyle pushed his weight up to 120 kilograms, which prompted him to lose weight.

After conducting online research, Chen turned to an AI tool to devise a "scientific" weight-loss plan. The algorithm recommended that he climb stairs for 90 minutes every day and play badminton twice a week, with each session lasting for two to three hours. It even instructed him to keep exercising without pause, even if his clothes were completely soaked in sweat, Sichuan Daily reported.

On the dietary front, the AI‑generated plan prescribed two eggs, half a steamed bun, and a glass of milk for breakfast; 75 grams of beef and 75 grams of vegetables for lunch; and a single serving of yogurt for dinner.

Forty‑five days into the plan, Chen had shed 20 kilograms. Yet after catching a cold, he continued his workouts, a decision that soon landed him in the emergency room. By the time he arrived at the hospital, he had become incoherent and subsequently slipped into a coma, according to the report.

Test results confirmed that Chen was in septic shock, a severe systemic inflammatory response triggered by infection, which subsequently led to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, Sichuan Daily reported. "Had he been brought in a few hours later, he might have been beyond rescue," the physician said.

Medical intervention pulled him back from the brink. Still, he was baffled as to how a supposedly scientific approach could have nearly cost him his life.

Cao Lianghai, deputy director of the intensive care unit at the treating hospital, said Chen's chronic sleep deprivation had already weakened his immune system's self‑regulating capacity, adding that extreme calorie restriction further suppressed immune function, while excessive high-intensity exercise triggered persistent inflammatory responses, pushing his immune system toward collapse.

The combination of strenuous exercise and fasting led to severe dehydration, which in turn triggered an acute kidney stone attack, said Cao. This caused a blockage and a urinary tract infection, ultimately culminating in a systemic inflammatory response, he added.

"AI can calculate calorie deficits, yet it cannot gauge the true physiological limits of the human body," the doctor warned.

Global Times