When Ancel Keys came up with his fraudulent Seven Countries study, he may have been under some pressure as Surgeon General to come up with some explanation to why there were so many cardiac arrests. He may have had some idea that margarine was to blame but not been able to explain it in convincingly in scientific terms. It is unclear to when trans fat was discovered and for a while it was even suggested that trans fat was a healthy alternative to saturated fat. Even if he was able to explain that margarine was to blame because of the trans fat content, with a burgeoning margarine industry he would have enough sense to realize that to speak out against the margarine industry would have been upsetting the applecart and there would have been political lobbying to have him removed as Surgeon General. I guess he knew what side his bread was buttered on. So what would have done? A situation analogous to a police detective deciding whether or not to proceed with a case that will incidentally expose police administration.
