Realizing this (and it's only one wrong hypothesis in a sea of them) is actually the opposite of how we assess risk. The onset is so pleasurable, the damage so far in the future, and way it accumulates completely undetectable... it's amazing we figured it out at all.

Vegetarianism rose around the same time and the same reasons even though it obviously works no better on heart disease, and the fear of red meat is REAL. I'm constantly seeing public, and then as people repeat it, private, reactions where people eat burgers made of chicken and pat themselves on the back.

For avoiding that deadly red meat. When something so nonsensical gets pseudo-science approval and constant repetition by actual people around you... it's no wonder so many of our newbies find the social pressure as bad as the cravings when it comes to quitting low carb and falling back into bad habits.