Arieta Leal

@posnut.ufv.br

Department of Nutrition Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa
Universidade Federal de Viçosa

Arieta Leal


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https://researchid.co/arietaleal

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Food Science, Epidemiology, Nutrition and Dietetics
11

Scopus Publications

185

Scholar Citations

5

Scholar h-index

4

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • The Content of Dietary Melatonin in 119 Food Items and Its Relationship With Chronic Diseases: Results of the CUME+ Study
    Gilmara Alves Zanirate, Josefina Bressan, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Adriano Marçal Pimenta, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff
    Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 2026
    Background Dietary melatonin, naturally occurring in plant‐ and animal‐based foods, has been linked to beneficial effects on sleep, mood and metabolic health. Although evidence suggests that food‐derived melatonin may elevate circulating levels, few studies have assessed its intake through habitual diets or explored associations with chronic disease outcomes in adults. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis within an open cohort of university graduates (baseline data). Dietary intake was evaluated using a validated 144‐item Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and melatonin intake was estimated based on published concentrations. Sleep duration was also assessed through the questionnaire. Associations between dietary melatonin and selected health outcomes, including depression, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnoea and sleep duration, were examined across quintiles of intake using logistic regression and Poisson regression models with robust variance, adjusted for potential confounders. Results Melatonin content was assigned to 82.6% of the FFQ items, with concentrations ranging from 0 to 169.9 ng/g. Among 8320 participants, most were women (67.7%), with a mean age of 35.9 ± 9.6 years; 48.1% were single. Mean dietary melatonin intake was 25554.7 ± 13876.2 ng/day. In multivariate models, obesity was inversely associated with melatonin intake in Q2 (IRR 0.81, 95%CI 0.69–0.96); Q3 (IRR 0.72, 95%CI 0.60–0.86) and Q4 (IRR 0.79, 95%CI 0.67–0.94). Depression was inversely associated in Q3 (IRR 0.79, 95%CI 0.67–0.93) and Q4 (IRR 0.79, 95%CI 0.67–0.94), suggesting a nonlinear dose–response pattern. Conclusion Dietary melatonin intake was inversely associated with obesity and depression, with a non‐linear dose–response pattern observed for depression. No significant associations were found with other chronic conditions or sleep duration. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to confirm these findings and clarify underlying mechanisms.
  • Interaction between skipping breakfast and depression on the incidence of metabolic syndrome among Brazilian adult graduates: six-year follow-up (CUME Study)
    Isabella Mendes, Josefina Bressan, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Andréia Queiroz Ribeiro, Adriano Marçal Pimenta, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff
    Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2025
  • Consumption of methyl donor nutrients and incidence of obesity: is the association influenced by parent’s obesity? Results of 4 years of follow-up of the CUME study
    Carolynne Martins Teixeira, Josefina Bressan, Leidjaira Lopes Juvanhol, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Adriano Marçal Pimenta, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff
    International Journal of Obesity, 2025
  • The bidirectional association between incidence of depression and obesity in Brazilian graduates (CUME study): a 6-year prospective study
    Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Josefina Bressan, Leidjaira Juvanhol Lopes, Adriano Marçal Pimenta, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff
    International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2025
    To evaluate the bidirectional relationship between the incidence of depression and obesity in Brazilian graduates. This 6-year longitudinal follow-up study included 3,426 participants from the CUME study in assessing the incidence of obesity and 3,414 participants in assessing the incidence of depression. Risk ratios were estimated and the interaction by sex was tested using the multiplicative method. After an average follow-up of 2.13 years, 387 incident cases of depression and 216 cases of obesity were identified. When stratified by sex, women with an initial diagnosis of depression were at increased risk of developing obesity over time (HR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.47 - 3.11). The association between initial obesity and incidence of depression was also positive, but only for men (HR: 1.82; 95% CI 1.05 - 3.16). As conclusion, there is bidirectional association for incidence of depression and obesity over time and the risks of developing these diseases are associated differently by sex.
  • Vaccination and food consumption: association with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome in Brazilian adults (CUME Study)
    Marlise Lima Brandão, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Josefina Bressan, Adriano Marçal Pimenta
    Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025
    BackgroundPost-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS) is an important sequalae of COVID-19. Then, our objective was to analyze the risk and protective factors for PACS in Brazilian adults participating in the Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME Study), with emphasis on COVID-19 vaccination and food consumption.MethodsIn this sub-study, we included 2,065 participants of CUME Study who answered the baseline questionnaire in 2016 or 2018 or 2020 or 2022, and the follow-up COVID-19/PACS-specific questionnaire in 2023. PACS diagnosis was based on self-reporting of continuation or development of new symptoms 3 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least 2 months with no other explanation. To estimate the risk and protective factors for PACS, hierarchical multivariate statistical analysis was conducted using the Cox regression technique, producing two models: (1) focusing on consumption of macro and micronutrients; (2) focusing on consumption of food groups.ResultsAfter a median of 5.5 years of follow-up, 54.4% of the participants reported PACS. When we analyzed the consumption of macro and micronutrients, higher intake of proteins (HR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.06–1.74-4th quartile) and lipids (HR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.02–1.48-4th quartile) were risk factors for PACS. On the other hand, higher intake of vitamin C (HR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.64–0.94-4th quartile), vitamin D (HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.67–0.99-4th quartile), and zinc (HR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.52–0.83-4th quartile) were protective factors for the outcome (model 1). When we analyzed the consumption of food groups, higher intake of eggs (HR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.34–1.89-4th quartile) increased the risk of PACS, whereas, respectively, higher and intermediate consumption of white meat (HR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.71–1.00-4th quartile) and vegetables (HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.67–0.99-2nd quartile; HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.67–0.99-3rd quartile) decreased the risk of the outcome (model 2). In both models, pre-infection COVID-19 vaccination was a protective factor for PACS.ConclusionA healthy diet, with higher consumption of white meat, vegetables and specific micronutrients (vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc), in parallel with pre-infection COVID-19 vaccination, is essential to reduce the risk of PACS.
  • Association between total dietary antioxidant capacity and food groups and incidence of depression in a cohort of Brazilian graduates (CUME Project)
    Gabriela Amorim Pereira Sol, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Adriano Marçal Pimenta, Josefina Bressan, Ana Paula Boroni Moreira, Aline Silva de Aguiar
    British Journal of Nutrition, 2023
    This study aims to evaluate the association between Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity (dTAC) and Total Antioxidant Capacity of food groups (fgTAC) with the incidence of depression in Brazilian graduates participating in the Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME Study). The sample consisted of 2572 participants without a medical diagnosis of depression at baseline who responded to at least one follow-up questionnaire from the CUME Project. The Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assay was used to determine dTAC. Incidence of depression was estimated by self-reported medical diagnosis of depression during the years of cohort follow-up. Cox regression models were used to relate dTAC and fgTAC to the incidence of depression. The mean follow-up time was 2·96 (1·00) years, and 246 cases of depression were observed (32·3/1000 person-years). The mean dTAC was 11·03 (4·84) mmol/d. We found no associations between higher dTAC and lower risk of developing depression after adjusting for possible confounders. The incidence of depression was inversely associated with fgTAC of the beans and lentils group (hazard ratio (HR): 0·61; 95 % CI 0·41, 0·90). The fgTAC of the junk food group was positively associated with higher incidence of depression after all adjustments (HR: 1·57; 95 % CI 1·08, 2·26). Our findings do not support an association between dTAC and the incidence of depression in a highly educated Brazilian population. However, associations of fgTAC show the importance of analysing the food matrix in which these antioxidants are inserted. We highlight the need for more prospective studies with different nationalities to confirm these results.
  • Ultra-processed food consumption is positively associated with the incidence of depression in Brazilian adults (CUME project)
    Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Leidjaira Juvanhol Lopes, Katiusse Rezende-Alves, Josefina Bressan, Adriano Marçal Pimenta, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff
    Journal of Affective Disorders, 2023
  • Higher caffeine consumption is associated with insufficient sleep time in Brazilian adults (CUME study)
    Carolynne Martins Teixeira, Josefina Bressan, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Sarah Aparecida Vieira Ribeiro, Leidjaira Lopes Juvanhol, Adriano Marçal Pimenta, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff
    International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2023
    We aimed to evaluate the association between caffeine intake and sleep time in Brazilian adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 6,356 participants from the Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME Study). Data was collected through an online self-report questionnaire. Of the total, 31.9% of the participants had insufficient sleep. Women were found to sleep less than men (64.1 vs. 35.9%; p < 0.001), as well as being more likely to consume higher doses of caffeine (55.2%, p < 0.001). Coffee (35.7%), dark chocolate (25.2%), milk chocolate (15.2%), and diet soda (11.0%) were the foods that more contributed to caffeine intake. Individuals in the highest quartile of caffeine intake (87.0 − 572.0 mg/day) had a 19% higher prevalence of insufficient sleep compared with the lowest quartile (PR: 1.19; 95%CI: 1.08 − 1.31). Future studies are needed to investigate the genetic and hormonal factors involved in the interindividual response in this population.
  • Online Food Frequency Questionnaire From the Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME Project, Brazil): Construction, Validity, and Reproducibility
    Heloísa Gambarelli de Araújo Azarias, José Luiz Marques-Rocha, Aline Elizabeth da Silva Miranda, Luana Caroline dos Santos, Ana Luíza Gomes Domingos, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff, Josefina Bressan, Fernando Luiz Pereira de Oliveira, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Adriano Marçal Pimenta
    Frontiers in Nutrition, 2021
    Background: The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) is usually used in epidemiological studies to assess food consumption. However, the FFQ must have good accuracy, requiring its validation and reproducibility for the target population. Thus, this study aimed to describe the construction of the online Food Frequency Questionnaire (oFFQ) used at the Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME project, Brazil) and evaluate its validity and reproducibility.Methods: The oFFQ was answered two times in 1 year (March/August 2018—March/April 2019; n = 108 participants—reproducibility), and four 24-h dietary recalls (24hRs) were applied in two seasons of the southern hemisphere [two 24hRs in autumn (March/June 2018) and two 24hRs in winter (August/September 2018); n = 146 participants—validity]. To assess the validity and reproducibility, the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were estimated.Results: The oFFQ had 144 food items separated into eight groups (dairy products; meat and fish; cereals and legumes; fruits; vegetables; fats and oils; drinks; other foods). In assessing the validity, ICCs for energy and macronutrients were considered moderate, ranging from 0.41 (energy) to 0.59 (protein), while the ICCs for micronutrients were considered low to moderate, ranging from 0.25 (fibers) to 0.65 (vitamin B6). Regarding reproducibility assessment, ICCs for energy and all the assessed items were considered moderate to excellent, ranging from 0.60 (vegetables) to 0.91 (vitamin E and retinol).Conclusions: The self-reported oFFQ had satisfactory validity and reproducibility. So, it can be used to analyze the association between food consumption and chronic diseases in the participants of the Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME project—Brazil).
  • Effects of curcumin supplementation on sport and physical exercise: a systematic review
    Lara Gomes Suhett, Rodrigo de Miranda Monteiro Santos, Brenda Kelly Souza Silveira, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Alice Divina Melo de Brito, Juliana Farias de Novaes, Ceres Mattos Della Lucia
    Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2021
    Curcumin is the main phenolic compound in turmeric. It has been investigated recently due to its numerous medicinal properties and health benefits. However, few studies assessed the effects of curcumin supplementation on physical activity practice. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to assess the available evidences with human beings about the potential effects of curcumin supplementation on sport and physical exercise. This systematic review was conducted within the period from January to February, 2019, following the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) guidelines. The LILACS, Medline, SciELO and PubMed databases were used for the search, with no publication date limit. The following terms, with the respective Boolean operators, were searched: “curcumin” AND sports; “curcumin” AND exercise; curcumin AND “aerobic exercise”; “curcumin” AND “resistance exercise”; “curcumin” AND “endurance exercise”; “curcumin” AND “strength exercise”. Eleven papers were selected for this review. Most of the studies displayed positive effects of the curcumin supplementation for athletes and physical exercise practitioners, and no side effects were reported. Participants supplemented with curcumin displayed reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, decreased pain and muscle damage, superior recovery and muscle performance, better psychological and physiological responses (thermal and cardiovascular) during training and improved gastrointestinal function. Curcumin supplementation appears to be safe and beneficial for sport and physical exercise in human beings. PROSPERO (CRD42019126763).
  • Sociodemographic characteristics and dietary patterns in cardiometabolic risk subjects
    Brenda Kelly Souza Silveira, Juliana Farias de Novaes, Sarah Aparecida Vieira, Daniela Mayumi Usuda Prado Rocha, Arieta Carla Gualandi Leal, Helen Hermana Miranda Hermsdorff
    British Food Journal, 2019

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • The Content of Dietary Melatonin in 119 Food Items and Its Relationship With Chronic Diseases: Results of the CUME+ Study
    GA Zanirate, J Bressan, ACG Leal, AM Pimenta, HHM Hermsdorff
    Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 39 (1), e70193 , 2026
    2026
    Citations: 2
  • Fatores de risco e de proteção para reinfecção por Covid-19: uma revisão integrativa da literatura
    M Pimenta, NK MJ, V Mota, GL AC
    2025
  • Consumption of methyl donor nutrients and incidence of obesity: is the association influenced by parent’s obesity? Results of 4 years of follow-up of the CUME study: Genetics …
    CM Teixeira, J Bressan, LL Juvanhol, ACG Leal, AM Pimenta, ...
    International Journal of Obesity 49 (9), 1847-1855 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • The bidirectional association between incidence of depression and obesity in Brazilian graduates (CUME study): a 6-year prospective study
    ACG Leal, J Bressan, LJ Lopes, AM Pimenta, HHM Hermsdorff
    International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 76 (6), 646-653 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Interaction between skipping breakfast and depression on the incidence of metabolic syndrome among Brazilian adult graduates: six-year follow-up (CUME Study)
    I Mendes, J Bressan, ACG Leal, AQ Ribeiro, AM Pimenta, ...
    Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 104202 , 2025
    2025
  • Vaccination and food consumption: association with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome in Brazilian adults (CUME Study)
    ML Brandão, HHM Hermsdorff, ACG Leal, J Bressan, AM Pimenta
    Frontiers in Nutrition 12, 1549747 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 3
  • Consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados, trajetórias de índice de massa corporal e incidência de obesidade e depressão em adultos brasileiros: estudo CUME
    ACG Leal
    2024
  • Association between total dietary antioxidant capacity and food groups and incidence of depression in a cohort of Brazilian graduates (CUME Project)
    GAP Sol, HHM Hermsdorff, ACG Leal, AM Pimenta, J Bressan, ...
    British Journal of Nutrition 130 (7), 1155-1166 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 2
  • Ultra-processed food consumption is positively associated with the incidence of depression in Brazilian adults (CUME project)
    ACG Leal, LJ Lopes, K Rezende-Alves, J Bressan, AM Pimenta, ...
    Journal of Affective Disorders 328, 58-63 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 28
  • Online food frequency questionnaire from the cohort of universities of Minas Gerais (CUME project, Brazil): construction, validity, and reproducibility
    HGA Azarias, JL Marques-Rocha, AES Miranda, LC Dos Santos, ...
    Frontiers in nutrition 8, 709915 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 40
  • Effects of curcumin supplementation on sport and physical exercise: a systematic review
    LG Suhett, R de Miranda Monteiro Santos, BKS Silveira, ACG Leal, ...
    Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 61 (6), 946-958 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 83
  • Sociodemographic characteristics and dietary patterns in cardiometabolic risk subjects
    BKS Silveira, JF Novaes, SA Vieira, DMUP Rocha, ACG Leal, ...
    British Food Journal 121 (11), 2780-2790 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 7
  • A multimodalidade na escrita académica
    C Teixeira, AA Leal
    Centro de Estudos de Linguística Geral e Aplicada (CELGA-ILTEC) , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 5
  • Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors are associated with diet quality in cardiometabolic risk subjects
    BKS Silveira, J Novaes, N Reis, LP Lourenço, A Capobiano, A Leal
    J Food Nutr Res 7 (2), 141-7 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 11
  • Consumo de refrigerantes, doces e açúcares de adição e prevalência de depressão em graduados brasileiros (projeto CUME)
    ACG Leal, HHM Hermsdorff, J Bressan, MCG Peluzio, SS Pereira
    2017
    Citations: 1

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Effects of curcumin supplementation on sport and physical exercise: a systematic review
    LG Suhett, R de Miranda Monteiro Santos, BKS Silveira, ACG Leal, ...
    Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 61 (6), 946-958 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 83
  • Online food frequency questionnaire from the cohort of universities of Minas Gerais (CUME project, Brazil): construction, validity, and reproducibility
    HGA Azarias, JL Marques-Rocha, AES Miranda, LC Dos Santos, ...
    Frontiers in nutrition 8, 709915 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 40
  • Ultra-processed food consumption is positively associated with the incidence of depression in Brazilian adults (CUME project)
    ACG Leal, LJ Lopes, K Rezende-Alves, J Bressan, AM Pimenta, ...
    Journal of Affective Disorders 328, 58-63 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 28
  • Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors are associated with diet quality in cardiometabolic risk subjects
    BKS Silveira, J Novaes, N Reis, LP Lourenço, A Capobiano, A Leal
    J Food Nutr Res 7 (2), 141-7 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 11
  • Sociodemographic characteristics and dietary patterns in cardiometabolic risk subjects
    BKS Silveira, JF Novaes, SA Vieira, DMUP Rocha, ACG Leal, ...
    British Food Journal 121 (11), 2780-2790 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 7
  • A multimodalidade na escrita académica
    C Teixeira, AA Leal
    Centro de Estudos de Linguística Geral e Aplicada (CELGA-ILTEC) , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 5
  • Vaccination and food consumption: association with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome in Brazilian adults (CUME Study)
    ML Brandão, HHM Hermsdorff, ACG Leal, J Bressan, AM Pimenta
    Frontiers in Nutrition 12, 1549747 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 3
  • The Content of Dietary Melatonin in 119 Food Items and Its Relationship With Chronic Diseases: Results of the CUME+ Study
    GA Zanirate, J Bressan, ACG Leal, AM Pimenta, HHM Hermsdorff
    Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 39 (1), e70193 , 2026
    2026
    Citations: 2
  • Consumption of methyl donor nutrients and incidence of obesity: is the association influenced by parent’s obesity? Results of 4 years of follow-up of the CUME study: Genetics …
    CM Teixeira, J Bressan, LL Juvanhol, ACG Leal, AM Pimenta, ...
    International Journal of Obesity 49 (9), 1847-1855 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • Association between total dietary antioxidant capacity and food groups and incidence of depression in a cohort of Brazilian graduates (CUME Project)
    GAP Sol, HHM Hermsdorff, ACG Leal, AM Pimenta, J Bressan, ...
    British Journal of Nutrition 130 (7), 1155-1166 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 2
  • The bidirectional association between incidence of depression and obesity in Brazilian graduates (CUME study): a 6-year prospective study
    ACG Leal, J Bressan, LJ Lopes, AM Pimenta, HHM Hermsdorff
    International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 76 (6), 646-653 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Consumo de refrigerantes, doces e açúcares de adição e prevalência de depressão em graduados brasileiros (projeto CUME)
    ACG Leal, HHM Hermsdorff, J Bressan, MCG Peluzio, SS Pereira
    2017
    Citations: 1
  • Fatores de risco e de proteção para reinfecção por Covid-19: uma revisão integrativa da literatura
    M Pimenta, NK MJ, V Mota, GL AC
    2025
  • Interaction between skipping breakfast and depression on the incidence of metabolic syndrome among Brazilian adult graduates: six-year follow-up (CUME Study)
    I Mendes, J Bressan, ACG Leal, AQ Ribeiro, AM Pimenta, ...
    Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 104202 , 2025
    2025
  • Consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados, trajetórias de índice de massa corporal e incidência de obesidade e depressão em adultos brasileiros: estudo CUME
    ACG Leal
    2024