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Healthy eating is a modifiable element of lifestyle that has the potential to improve symptoms and disease progression for people with MS. When people are first diagnosed with MS, they often change their food habits as a method of taking control of their disease. The information related to healthy eating for MS is inconsistent, with many fad diets being developed and promoted without appropriate support. When visiting their healthcare team, the topic of nutrition is rarely discussed. People with MS want to know what they should be eating to take control of their disease safely.
This research will target researchers who run studies that health professionals use as evidence. By ensuring that the tools used to target nutrition in studies are accurate and by guiding health professionals about the impact of nutrition for MS, we will begin to grow a more consistent flow of information to people with MS.
Studies in MS are heavily focused on single nutrients when food and patterns of eating should be targeted. This research will focus on food by creating a toolkit for health professionals and decision support tools using artificial intelligence so that people with MS can make decisions related to their eating based upon their individual circumstances.
The tools that are developed in this research program will be tested with health professionals and people with MS through two randomised trials that will provide additional support and guidance toward the importance of nutrition in the management of MS.
In the first year of Associate Professor Yasmine Probst’s study, her research team grew from two to 13 members and started collaborations with the UK and Germany. They completed an evaluation of online dietary advice for people with MS, finding it often unreliable and unsafe, and drafted a manuscript on these findings. Additionally, they conducted and published a scoping review of tools for lifestyle interventions in MS. To improve MS nutrition research, the team created a tool to standardise the choice and reporting of dietary studies.
In the second year, Associate Professor Probst’s focus shifted to leadership and expanding the Eatright MS team. The team advocated for specialised dietetic care for MS and joined the Consortium for MS Care (CMSC) in the USA. The team presented their findings at international conferences and highlighted the impact of nutritional misinformation on people living with MS. Associate Professor Probst secured funding, including MS Australia scholarships for two PhD candidates and a national clinical trial. The team completed nine student projects and produced 12 publications, with six more under review, significantly advancing MS nutrition research.
Updated 31 March 2024
$390,000
2022
3 years
Current project
