Participants
This trial was conducted at the Section of Clinical Dietology of the University Hospital of Pisa between March 2019 and April 2023. Individuals of either sex (self-reported) between 18 and 75 years of age, regardless of their racial/ethnic background or socioeconomic status, were eligible for the study if their BMI was higher than 25.0 kg/mThe study protocol was finalised and approved by the local Ethics Committee before the trial was started, while registration at ClinicalTrials.gov (registration no. NCT05713058) was delayed for confidentiality reasons. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants before enrolment.