Draft:Calorie Counter



A calorie counter is a software application or device that can be used to record and evaluate a person's daily diet in terms of nutritional values ​​such as calories, macronutrients and micronutrients.. Body weight and physical activity may also be monitored. Their use is intended to help reduce body weight.

Development
Manual "calorie counting" is based on nutritional calorie tables in book form and on the nutritional information on product packaging. With the advent of smartphones, "calorie counter" apps have simplified the process. The smartphone camera captures the barcode of a product and the nutritional information is provided from a database.

Features
The user records every food eaten, including the quantity, in order to determine their total calories and nutrient intake and compare them with their target. They can enter their current body weight into the app every few days and later draw conclusions about the effectiveness of their diet. To record calorie consumption, the apps can connect to the interfaces of third-party fitness trackers, access the phone's activity sensor or record activity manually.

Privacy
Most calorie counter applications require a user account. Meal and body weight entries are stored on a server of the provider, personalized profiles are created with sensitive data that are at risk of unauthorized access. Applications without registration are more secure in this respect, but have no server-based data backup.

Available evidence
A Cochrane meta-analysis (2024) of 18 studies with a total of 2700 people showed that there was little or no change in participants' weight after two years. Effects on well-being and quality of life are low or non-existent. The apps performed just as well as personal coaching, "no app" or "usual care". However, the evidence is still very weak and a large number of studies have been announced or are ongoing