According to a study, published in the journal, American Psychological Association Health Psychology examined 7,407 middle-aged women (45-50 years) for over 20 years. 43.2% women experienced increased symptoms of depression and just under half the cohort were diagnosed or took treatment for depression during the study period. Of the overall, 2,035 or 63.6% developed several chronic diseases.

Xiaolin Xu from the University of Queensland in Australia said that nowadays many people suffer from multiple chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. They also see how women progress in the development of these chronic diseases before and after the onset of depressive symptoms.

Xu also added that women suffering from depression were 1.8 times more likely to have multiple chronic health conditions. After women start experiencing these symptoms, they are 2.4 times more likely to suffer from multiple chronic conditions as compared to women without depressive symptoms.

Women with both conditions such as depression and chronic diseases are more likely to come from low-income households and are overweight, inactive, smoke tobacco and also drink alcohol.

Xu further said that maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet and reducing harmful behaviors can help to prevent and slow the progression of various chronic diseases.