A study by Rottenberg et al. (2014) provided evidence for the link between early-life depression and poor health habits. The research followed children diagnosed with depression into adolescence and found they had a higher probability of being obese, smoking, and engaging in a sedentary lifestyle compared to adolescents who had not been diagnosed with depression as children.

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One proposed mechanism explaining the link between depression and heart problems is the adoption of an unhealthy lifestyle. Research suggests that depression, particularly when its onset is in early life, can lead to behaviors such as obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity, which in turn create a risk profile that makes an individual more susceptible to cardiovascular disease.

Unhealthy Lifestyle as a Mechanism Linking Depression to Heart Disease

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

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