From the article: A new study on a large sample of mothers and daughters provides evidence that mothers with healthier lifestyles tend to have daughters with fewer depressive symptoms. The link appeared to be achieved through the healthy lifestyles of daughters. But this association was not present in sons. The study was published in Psychological Medicine.

The prevalence of depression among adolescents had seen an increase in recent years. In the United States, estimates show that 8.7% of adolescents had a depressive episode in the past 12 months in 2005, but this percentage grew to 11.3% in 2014. Around half of adolescents diagnosed with depression or major depressive disorder, as it is officially called, also suffer from other psychiatric disorders. In adults, depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide.

While there are biological factors that increase the risk of depression, a growing body of scientific research shows that modifiable healthy lifestyle factors can reduce depression risk. “A healthy diet, non-smoking, being physically active, having a normal body mass index (BMI), and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption are independently associated with less depressive symptoms among adults,” wrote Wei-Chen Wang and colleagues in their study.

The researchers wanted to investigate whether the lifestyle of mothers during their offspring’s childhood and adolescence might be associated with depression in their children. They defined the healthy lifestyle of mothers in terms of eating a healthy diet, having a normal body-mass index, never smoking, being physically active, and having light-to-moderate alcohol consumption.