Deakin research fellow awarded MS Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant

Summary:

Dr Bárbara Brayner from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) has been awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant by MS Australia of $225,000 for a four-year funding period.

Her research will investigate the associations between dietary fat and the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) and MS progression.

MS is the most common acquired chronic neurological disease affecting young adults. There is no known single cause of MS, but many genetic and environmental factors have been shown to contribute to its development.

Using the funding from MS Australia, Dr Brayner and her team aim to produce high-quality evidence to support the development of guidance regarding dietary fat for people with MS.

Their investigation will use data from Australia, the UK, Brazil and Japan representing individuals with various ethnic backgrounds, alongside data from the Australian Multi-centre Study of Environment and Immune Function (the AusImmune Study) and the AusLong study.

In MS, the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks and damages the protective sheath around the nerves, called myelin. This interrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body and can eventually cause permanent damage to nerve fibers. MS presents with a range of symptoms – no two people experience it in the same way and there is currently no cure.

Three of the most common diets marketed to help people with MS manage their symptoms have dietary fat at the core of their recommendations, but there’s conflicting evidence on whether a low-fat or high-fat diet is more effective.

‘Dietary fat is one of the most controversial topics in diet and MS. Our project aims to clarify which diets have an impact on the risk of developing MS and MS progression. For example, we will assess whether high-fat or low-fat diets; specific high-fat foods; or types of fat have an effect’, Dr Brayner says.

‘This could be very significant for those at risk or living with MS, since it is relatively simple and inexpensive to make dietary changes.’

The project team also includes Professor Lucinda Black from IPAN and Professor Bruce Taylor from the University of Tasmania.

MS Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation that empowers researchers to identify ways to treat, prevent and cure MS. They seek sustained and systemic policy change via advocacy and act as the champion for Australia’s community of people affected by MS. This fellowship is awarded as part of MS Australia’s major February 2025 grant funding round.

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