Konstantin Monastyrsky

[[File:Konstantin Monastyrsky.png|thumb|right|165px|Konstantin Monastyrsky]]
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'''Konstantin Monastyrsky''' is an [[author]], [[Quack|self-taught]] nutritionist and [[food woo]] promoter.

Monastyrsky is the author of ''Fiber Menace'' (2008), in which he attacks dietary fiber based on his [[Anecdote|personal experiences]] with [[irritable bowel syndrome]].<ref>[https://www.smartnutrition.ca/smarten-up/are-you-victim-nutrition-fraud/ Are you a victim of nutrition fraud?]. Smart Nutrition.</ref> The book was endorsed by the [[Weston A. Price Foundation]], which explains a lot.<ref>[https://www.westonaprice.org/book-reviews/fiber-menace-by-konstantin-monastyrsky/ Fiber Menace by Konstantin Monastyrsky]</ref> His research has been described as [[pseudoscience]].<ref name="Skeptoid">[https://skeptoid.com/blog/2013/02/09/konstantin-monastyrsky-pseudoscience-of-nutrition-part-1/ Konstantin Monastyrsky - Pseudoscience of Nutrition (Part 1)]</ref><ref name="Skeptoid 2">[https://skeptoid.com/blog/2013/02/16/konstantin-monastyrsky-pseudoscience-of-nutrition-part-2/ Konstantin Monastyrsky - Pseudoscience of Nutrition (Part 2)]</ref>

==Credentials==
Monastyrsky was born in [[Ukraine]] in 1954 and became a naturalized [[US]] citizen.<ref name=about>[https://www.gutsense.org/author/about-konstantin-monastyrsky.html About Konstantin Monastyrsky] Gut Sense</ref> He has been described as a "trained pharmacist, burglar alarm installer, [[Engineers and woo|computer programmer]] and the self-proclaimed Russian [[Atkins]]".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100803205321/http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/955/wacky-week-konstantin-monastyrsky-is-fighting-the-fiber-menace-episode-199/ Wacky Week: Konstantin Monastyrsky Is Fighting the Fiber Menace (Episode 199)] (November 20, 2008) ''The Livin' the Vida Low-Carb Show'' (archived from August 3, 2010).</ref> In 1977, he says he graduated from a medical university with a pharmacy degree, but he does not give details.<ref>[https://www.gutsense.org/author/about-konstantin-monastyrsky.html About Konstantin Monastyrsky]</ref> His knowledge about nutrition is self-taught.<ref name="Skeptoid"/> He offers [[Quack Miranda Warning|a disclaimer]], admitting he is not a medical doctor and his website should not be used for medical advice: "My books and essays aren't a substitute for qualified medical advice, and do not provide quick (or, in some cases, any) fixes."<ref>[https://www.gutsense.org/author/medical-disclaimer-for-gutsense-org.html Common sense medical disclaimer]</ref> This is contradicted by statements elsewhere on his website such as, "this site provides safe, effective, and natural solutions for resolving the nastiest kinds of constipations".<ref>[https://www.gutsense.org/gutsense/the-role-of-miralax-laxative-in-autism-dementia-alzheimer.html Is MiraLAX the next Vioxx?]</ref>

==Pseudoscience==
Monastyrsky promotes a pseudoscientific fiber-free [[low-carb diet]] that he claims helped him cure irritable bowel syndrome. He advertises as an "expert" in forensic nutrition.<ref>[https://www.gutsense.org/author/what-is-forensic-nutrition.html What is forensic nutrition?]. Konstantin Monastyrsky</ref> His evidence against fiber is [[Anecdotal evidence|anecdotal]]. [[Skeptic]] Eric Hall noted:

{{cquote|His entire body of research by his own claim is based on his personal experience. That is the opposite of science — it is anecdote. He throws out a quick ad hominem that most medical writers suffer from bias, but that his "science" is so pure that it cannot contain bias. All science has some bias, but the very process of science is designed to reduce and eliminate most of it. Mr. Monastyrsky does not follow any type of bias reducing process.<ref name="Skeptoid"/>}}

His website has been criticized for misinformation, such as [[Quote mine|misrepresenting statements]] from the [[Food and Drug Administration]]. For example, he made false claims that the laxative {{wpl|macrogol}} ("MiraLax") can cause neuropsychiatric events.<ref name="Skeptoid 2"/>

Monastyrsky likes to brag about his personal health and offers [[sex]] advice on his website. He has posted a 2014 picture of his wife (age 60) and promises it is un-retouched.<ref name= "Q&A">[https://www.gutsense.org/author/faq-with-konstantin-monastyrsky.html Q&A with Konstantin Monastyrsky]</ref>{{lie}} He says he knows some "ladies in their mid-40s who have been following my recommendations for several years, and got accidentally [[pregnant]] because they abandoned [[Birth control|contraceptives]] years ago".<ref name="Q&A"/><ref group="note">Wait, he's saying that like it's a good thing? Apparently he's implying they were [[infertile]] because of their evil carb diet. But the mean age of {{wpl|menopause}} is around 50; a 40-something woman becoming pregnant is not very unusual. [[Post hoc ergo propter hoc|If this is evidence that his diet "works"]], logically, 40-something women ''not'' following his diet and becoming pregnant [[Null hypothesis|is evidence against]], but obviously he ignores this.</ref> He also posts some bizarre videos. He claims that [[anal sex]] causes constipation.<ref>[https://player.vimeo.com/video/4680558 Why Does Anal Sex Cause Constipation?]</ref>

==Publications==
*''Functional Nutrition: How to Prevent Nutritional Disorders and Premature Aging with Functional Nutrition'' (2007).
*''Fiber Menace: The Truth About the Leading Role of Fiber in Diet Failure, Constipation, Hemorrhoids, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, and Colon Cancer'' (2008)

==External link==
*[https://www.gutsense.org/index.html Gut Sense]

==Notes==
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==References==
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[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Engineer woo]]
[[Category:Food woo promoters]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: Authors, Engineer woo, Food woo promoters, Living people