Researchers monitored compliance and gastrointestinal symptoms weekly, defining compliance as consuming over 80 percent of the provided foods. Dietary intake was tracked using three-day food diaries and the nutritional data was analyzed with specialized software.

Blood tests were performed before and after each four-week phase to measure changes in key markers, such as LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Stool samples were also analyzed to assess changes in gut microbiota composition and function.