I suspect that rather than what they ate, what they did not eat played a major role....
" Patients were also asked to avoid sugary foods
(sucrose, fructose, and drinks containing
them, refined carbohydrates, fruit juices, syrups, and molasses). Subsequently, we also
excluded caffeine and fructose."
That quote is from the article, yes. But they repeatedly summarize the diet as "plant-based", rather than sugar-free and plant-based. What if the fact that they cut meat had absolutely no effect or even a negative one? Would we be able to tell from this?
That's a fantastic question, and one that I really like to know the answer to, but not the question I replied to. It is indeed what they removed, which caused the problem. And the diet they ate was also "plant based". Now we just need more studies to nail down which of that large list is actually the culprit. Like yourself, I highly doubt that it's all of them.
" Patients were also asked to avoid sugary foods (sucrose, fructose, and drinks containing them, refined carbohydrates, fruit juices, syrups, and molasses). Subsequently, we also excluded caffeine and fructose."