I'm surprised you didn't point out that the diet itself was flawed. The basis of the plant-based diet was vegetables and fruits, and yet they explicitly exclude

I'm surprised you didn't point out that the diet itself was flawed. The basis of the plant-based diet was vegetables and fruits, and yet they explicitly excluded fructose. You can't have any fruits then! Nearly every fruit contains fructose in some appreciable amount, among the lowest in concentrations are raspberries and strawberries. Even vegetables have significant amounts of fructose, such as asparagus and tomatoes (though technically a fruit as well). I feel like with a study that self reports from it's patients, especially of this size, a diet this restrictive is nearly impossible to keep 24/7.