Introduction: Depression is a common chronic disease among the elderly. Depression would lead to decreased quality of life, disturbance in activity of daily living and personal, social and family roles. One of the factors that might prevent the occurrence of depression is tea consumption. Considering the controversial results of foreign studies and lack of national studies in this regard, the present study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between tea consumption and depression among the elderly.

Method: This case-control study was conducted in 2016 on 260 elderly who referred to health centers of the Saghez city. Samples were selected using cluster random method. Using the Geriatric Depression Scale and confirmation of the psychiatrist, samples were divided into two groups (depressed and not depressed) and were adjusted regarding their age, gender, educational level and body mass index. Then the amount of consumed tea for each participant was recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS software 18 and through descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The mean and standard deviation of the participants’ age were 69.8 ± 6.35 years. Findings showed that 64.2% of the participants (169) consumed less than three cups of tea per day. A significant relationship was revealed between tea consumption and depression; this means that 1.5% of the depressed participants and 33.5% of the not-depressed participants were consuming at least 3 cups of tea every day. The risk of depression was 66% lower among those who consumed at least 3 cups of tea every day than those who consumed less than 3 cups of tea per day (p < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.267-0.437, OR = 0.341).

Conclusions: The present study revealed a probable relationship between depression and tea consumption among the elderly. Considering the high prevalence of depression among the elderly, preventive interventions, such as consuming at least 3 cups of tea every day, is recommended.