Across two timelines, a 1970s battle over the cause of heart disease pits science against politics and corporate power - until decades later, a student begins to question what she’s been taught and turns to the scientist who tried to stop it for answers. It's DOPESICK but set inside the American food system.

SYNOPSIS:

Healthy Lies unfolds across two timelines, beginning in 1955 when President Eisenhower suffers a heart attack, sparking national concern about heart disease. A montage traces the rise of processed foods over the following decades before revealing the footage is being shown in a present-day university classroom, where Professor Ralph Hanley tells students heart disease remains the leading cause of death.

Alexis Keaton, a nutrition student, receives a B-minus on a paper arguing that heart disease has declined since the introduction of the senate committee guidelines. But Hanley challenges her conclusion. He becomes unsettled when she references “Miller J. Ashcroft,” raises her grade to end the conversation, and warns her to stay away from him.

In 1973, a younger Hanley attempts to share research suggesting sugar plays a role in heart disease but is dismissed. Senator Charlotte Watson recruits him to join a new congressional committee on dietary guidelines. Hanley believes the issue involves sugar, fat, and processed foods, but Senator Drake insists on simple messaging and allows industry influence.

Family man, Miller J. Ashcroft, a tobacco marketing executive, faces the loss of cigarette advertising and is introduced to processed food production. Though initially uneasy, he continues exploring the opportunity.

Back in the present, Alexis interns with a dietitian and works with a client trying to lose weight. When her father suffers a heart attack, she realizes that while treatments have improved, people are still getting sick. She returns to Hanley, now understanding his earlier point, but is frustrated when he says nothing can be done. Alexis decides to investigate the origins of the guidelines.

The story ends as the 1973 committee convenes, revealing the full group shaping the guidelines, including Hanley, Watson, government officials, industry representatives, and Miller J. Ashcroft. Alexis sets out to uncover how it all happened.