Nicola P. Bondonno

University of Western Australia | UWA · Centre for Medical Research

Objectives Prolonged exposure to stress is a risk factor for mental and physical health problems (i.e., depression, cardiovascular disease). Although higher consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV) has been associated with lower perceived stress (PS), the relationship between specific FV types and PS remains uncertain. The aim of this cross-section...

Objectives Higher vegetable intakes are hypothesized to reduce the risk of developing diabetes but the findings are weak. Using Diet, Cancer and Health cohort, we aimed to 1) analyze the relationship between intakes of total vegetable, vegetable subgroups and incident diabetes, 2) analyze separately the association between intakes of total potatoes...

Purpose Dietary flavonoids are bioactive compounds that have been widely investigated for their associations with vascular health outcomes. As the development of tinnitus has been linked to vascular pathways, dietary flavonoids may have role in the prevention of tinnitus symptoms. This study reports the associations between the intakes of major cla...

An up-to-date nitrate food composition database of plant-based foods is lacking. Such a resource is imperative to obtain a robust assessment of dietary nitrate intakes and facilitate more empirical evaluation of health implications. We updated and expanded our 2017 vegetable nitrate database by including data published between 2016 – 2021 and data...

Background and Aims Higher total fruit and vegetable (FV) intakes have been associated with lower perceived stress. However, the relationship of FV intake with domains of perceived stress is unclear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between consumption of FV and four perceived stress domains (worries, tension, l...

This study provides evidence that consuming flavonoid-rich food may be protective against type 2 diabetes (T2DM) through mechanisms related to better glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

Flavonoids are bioactive plant compounds that are widely present in the human diet. Estimating flavonoid intake with a high degree of certainty is challenging due to the inherent limitations of dietary questionnaires and food composition databases. This study aimed to evaluate the degree of reliability among flavonoid intakes estimated using four d...

Purpose Higher total fruit and vegetable (FV) intakes have been associated with lower perceived stress. The relationship between specific types of FV and perceived stress remains uncertain. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to explore the relationship between consumption of specific types of FV with perceived stress in a population-based...

Introduction Higher flavonoid intakes are beneficially associated with pulmonary function parameters, however, their association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown. This study aimed to examine associations between intakes of 1) total flavonoids, 2) flavonoid subclasses, and 3) major flavonoid compounds and incident COPD in...

Background: Dialysis treatments weigh heavily on patients' physical and psychosocial health. Multiple studies have assessed the potential for exercise training to improve outcomes in adults undergoing dialysis. However, uncertainties exist in its relevance and sustainable benefits for patient-important outcomes. This is an update of a review first...

PurposeTo assess whether dietary intake of flavonoids are associated with longitudinal treatment outcomes of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Methods547 participants with nAMD were recruited at baseline, 494 were followed-up after receiving 12 months of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy. B...

Scope Nitrate and nitrite are approved food additives in some animal-based food products. However, nitrate and nitrite in foods are strictly regulated due to health concerns over methaemoglobinaemia and the potential formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. In contrast, plants (like leafy vegetables) naturally accumulate nitrate ions; a growing body...

Background: Coronary and aortic artery calcifications are generally slow to develop, and their burden predicts cardiovascular disease events. In patients with diabetes mellitus, arterial calcification is accelerated and calcification activity can be detected using 18F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography (18F-NaF PET). Objectives: We aim...

PurposeTo investigate the relationship of habitual FV intake, different types of FV, and vegetable diversity with depressive symptoms.Methods Australian men and women (n = 4105) aged > 25 years from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire at baseline, 5 and...

Reported associations between vitamin K 1 and both all-cause and cause-specific mortality are conflicting. The 56,048 participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health prospective cohort study, with a median [IQR] age of 56 [52–60] years at entry and of whom 47.6% male, were followed for 23 years, with 14,083 reported deaths. Of these, 5015 dea...

Background Flavonoid-rich foods may contribute to a lower risk of ischemic stroke through their anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, and anti-thrombotic properties. We aimed to examine the relationship between flavonoid intake and ischemic stroke incidence in participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health study. Methods In this prospective...

Flavonoids have shown anti-hypertensive and anti-atherosclerotic properties: the impact of habitual flavonoid intake on vascular function, central hemodynamics and arterial stiffness may be important. We investigated the relationship between habitual flavonoid consumption and measures of central blood pressure and arterial stiffness. We performed c...

Background Dietary vitamin K (K 1 and K 2 ) may reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk via several mechanisms. However, studies linking vitamin K intake with incident ASCVD are limited. We aimed to determine the relationship between dietary vitamin K intake and ASCVD hospitalizations. Methods and Results In this prospective coh...

Whether the vascular effects of inorganic nitrate, observed in clinical trials, translate to a reduction in cardiovascular disease (CVD) with habitual dietary nitrate intake in prospective studies warrants investigation. We aimed to determine if vegetable nitrate, the major dietary nitrate source, is associated with lower blood pressure (BP) and lo...

Background Higher flavonoid intakes are hypothesised to confer protection against type 2 diabetes mellitus. Objective We aimed to 1) investigate associations between flavonoid intakes and diabetes, 2) examine the mediating impact of body fat, and 3) identify subpopulations that may receive the greatest benefit from higher flavonoid intakes in part...

Objectives Our objective was to examine whether dietary intakes of vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 were associated with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related and cancer-related mortality and to identify subpopulations that may benefit the most from higher vitamin K intakes. Methods Participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study co...

Background Fruit, but not fruit juice, intake is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, questions remain about the mechanisms by which fruits may confer protection. Aims were to examine associations between intake of fruit types and 1) measures of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and 2) diabetes at follow-up....

Introduction: The promotion of evidence-based diets is an important s trategy to mitigate the global health and economic burden of diabetes. Higher flavonoid intakes are associated with a lower risk of obesity and diabetes. Less clear are associations of the flavonoid subclasses with diabetes, the mediating impact of body fat, and the identificatio...

Introduction: Prospective studies investigating flavonoid intake and dementia risk are scarce. The aims of this study were to examine associations between flavonoid intake and the risk of incident dementia and to investigate whether this association differs in the presence of lifestyle risk factors for dementia. Methods: We examined associations...

Background Flavonoid-rich foods have antiinflammatory, antiatherogenic, and antithrombotic properties that may contribute to a lower risk of ischemic stroke. Objectives We aimed to investigate the relationship between habitual flavonoid consumption and incidence of ischemic stroke in participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study. Des...

Backgrounds and aims Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is associated with weaker grip strength, an established risk factor for fall-related hospitalizations. However, its association with long-term fall-related hospitalisations remains unknown. This study investigated the association between AAC and long-term fall-related hospitalizations in com...

Background & aims Poor nutritional habits are linked to higher perceived stress, but the relationship between fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and stress is uncertain. The primary aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between FV intake and perceived stress in a population-based cohort of men and women aged ≥25 years from...

Background Nitrate supplements can improve vascular and muscle function. Whether higher habitual dietary nitrate is associated with better muscle function remains underexplored. Objective The aim was to examine whether habitual dietary nitrate intake is associated with better muscle function in a prospective cohort of men and women, and whether th...

Objectives Cardiovascular and neurocognitive responses to chewing gum have been reported, but the mechanisms are not well understood. Chewing gum after a nitrate-rich meal may upregulate the reduction of oral nitrate to nitrite and increase nitric oxide (NO), a molecule important to cardiovascular and neurocognitive health. We aimed to explore effe...

Background The prognostic importance of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) viewed on noninvasive imaging modalities remains uncertain. Methods and Results We searched electronic databases (MEDLINE and Embase) until March 2018. Multiple reviewers identified prospective studies reporting AAC and incident cardiovascular events or all‐cause mortalit...

Background The role of nutrition in the primary prevention of peripheral artery disease (PAD), the third leading cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, is undetermined. Flavonoids may attenuate atherosclerosis and therefore persons who consume flavonoid-rich foods may have a lower risk of developing PAD. Objectives We aimed to examine th...

Introduction The Modification of Diet, Exercise and Lifestyle (MODEL) study aims to examine the impact of providing visualisation and pictorial representation of advanced structural vascular disease (abdominal aortic calcification or AAC), on “healthful” improvements to diet and lifestyle. This paper reports the protocol for the process evaluation...

Introduction Most cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related events could be prevented or substantially delayed with improved diet and lifestyle. Providing information on structural vascular disease may improve CVD risk factor management, but its impact on lifestyle change remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether providing visualisation and...

Dietary flavonoids are vasoactive phytochemicals with promising anti-inflammatory properties. We aimed to assess the associations between baseline intakes of six commonly consumed flavonoid subclasses and 10-year incidence of age-related hearing loss. At baseline, 1691 participants aged 50+ years had information on dietary intakes and hearing statu...

Purpose In this study, we assessed whether there are independent associations between dietary total flavonoid intake and major flavonoid classes with retinal arteriolar and venular calibre. Methods Blue Mountains Eye Study participants aged 49+ years who had complete data on diet and retinal vessel measures were analysed (n = 2821). Dietary intake...

Purpose Chronic inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of age-related renal disease and the diet can moderate systemic inflammation. The primary objective of this study was to examine the associations between a dietary inflammatory index (DII®) score and renal function, the trajectory of renal function decline, and renal disease-related hosp...

Introduction: Apples, an important contributor to total dietary phenolic intake, are associated with cardiovascular health benefits. Determining the phenolic composition of apples, their individual variation across varieties, and the phenolic compounds present in plasma after apple consumption is integral to understanding the effects of apple phen...

There is an accumulating body of literature reporting on dietary flavonoid intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in prospective cohort studies. This makes apparent the need for an overview and update on the current state of the science. To date, at least 27 prospective cohorts (in 44 publications) have evaluated the association betwee...

We have previously shown higher intake of cruciferous vegetables is inversely associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness. To further test the hypothesis that an increased consumption of cruciferous vegetables is associated with reduced indicators of structural vascular disease in other areas of the vascular tree, we aimed to investigate...

Background: A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is recommended for cardiovascular health. However, the majority of Australians do not consume the recommended number of vegetable servings each day. Furthermore, intakes of vegetables considered to have the greatest cardiovascular benefit are often very low. Results from prospective observational st...

Background & Aims Primary prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) through behavioural and dietary modification is a critically important and unmet need. Flavonoids are bioactive dietary compounds with promising cardiovascular health benefits. Our aim was to investigate the association between flavonoid intake and clinically apparent AF. Methods Bas...

Background: High vegetable intake is associated with beneficial effects on bone. However, the mechanisms remain uncertain. Green leafy vegetables are a rich source of vitamin K1, which is known to have large effects on osteoblasts and osteocalcin (OC) metabolism. Objective: To examine the effects of consumption of two to three extra serves of gr...

Background: Flavonoids, compounds found in plant-based foods and beverages, might ameliorate vascular damage and atherosclerosis. Therefore, our aim was to assess the association between flavonoid intake and hospital admissions due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, participants from the Danish...

Background Our understanding of how diet affects future risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited. Evidence suggests that higher habitual intakes of flavonoids, bio-active compounds found in plant-based foods and beverages, lower cardiovascular disease risk, attenuate inflammation, and may have anti-arrhythmic properties. Purpose To investigate...

A higher intake of foods rich in flavonoids such as quercetin can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Enzymatically modified isoquercitrin (EMIQ®) has a bioavailability 17-fold higher than quercetin aglycone and has shown potential cardiovascular disease moderating effects in animal studies. The present study aimed to determine if acute inge...

Flavonoids, plant-derived polyphenolic compounds, have been linked with health benefits. However, evidence from observational studies is incomplete; studies on cancer mortality are scarce and moderating effects of lifestyle risk factors for early mortality are unknown. In this prospective cohort study including 56,048 participants of the Danish Die...

Background: Higher intakes of flavonoids provide health benefits, however, the importance of each flavonoid class and which population groups may receive the greatest protection from higher flavonoid intake warrants further investigation. Objective: To explore the associations of flavonoid and flavonoid-rich wholefood intakes with all-cause mort...

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that increasing intakes of nitrate-rich vegetables may be an effective approach to reduce blood pressure. Objective: Our primary aim was to determine whether daily consumption of nitrate-rich vegetables over 4 wk would result in lower blood pressure. Design: Thirty participants with prehypertension or unt...

Adequate vegetable consumption is one of the cornerstones of a healthy diet. The recommendation to increase vegetable intake is part of most dietary guidelines. Despite widespread and long-running public health messages to increase vegetable intake, similar to other countries worldwide, less than 1 in 10 adult Australians manage to meet target advi...

Background: Dietary patterns rich in fruits and vegetables are considered to reduce atherosclerotic disease presentation and are reported to be inversely associated with subclinical measures of atherosclerosis, such as carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque. However, the effect of vegetable intake alone, and relationships to specif...

Background Dietary nitrate is an important source of nitric oxide (NO), a molecule critical for cardiovascular health. Nitrate is sequentially reduced to NO through an enterosalivary nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway that involves the oral microbiome. This pathway is considered an important adjunct pathway to the classical l-arginine–NO synthase pathway....

Scope: The cardioprotective effects of apples are primarily attributed to flavonoids, found predominantly in the skin. This study aimed to determine if acute and/or chronic (4 weeks) ingestion of flavonoid-rich apples improves endothelial function, blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness in individuals at risk for CVD. Methods and results: In...

Vegetable derived nitrate is now recognised as an important bioactive phytochemical with cardioprotective properties. Nitrate, through the recently described enterosalivary nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide (NO) pathway, increases NO, a molecule pivotal for cardiovascular health. Clinical trials have observed that dietary nitrate has similar effects to...

Arterial wall thickening, stimulated by low-grade systemic inflammation, underlies many cardiovascular events. As diet is a significant moderator of systemic inflammation, the dietary inflammatory index (DII TM ) has recently been devised to assess the overall inflammatory potential of an individual’s diet. The primary objective of this study was t...

Apples are an important contributor to the intake of dietary components linked with cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. Apples have been shown to have beneficial effects on vascular function, blood pressure, lipids, inflammation and hyperglycaemia. The cardioprotective effects of apples, and other fruits, have been primarily ascribed to their...

Background: Epidemiologic studies have suggested that a flavonoid-rich diet can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Certain flavonoids, in particular quercetin, have been shown to ameliorate endothelial dysfunction and reduce blood pressure (BP), possibly by increasing the bioavailability of the potent vasodilator nitric oxide (N...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. There is a consistent inverse relationship between fruit intake with CVD events and mortality in cross-sectional and prospective observational studies, but the relationship of fruit intake with measurements of atherosclerosis in humans is less clear. Nutritional effects on abdomi...

Higher fruit intake is associated with lower risk of all-cause and disease-specific mortality. However, data on individual fruits are limited, and the generalisability of these findings to the elderly remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to examine the association of apple intake with all-cause and disease-specific mortality over 15 y...

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death worldwide despite the majority of its risk factors being preventable and treatable. The results of numerous epidemiological studies suggest that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables affords protection against CVD, and this may be attributed, in part, to the flavonoid quercetin. The aims of this revie...