Older people who take certain blood pressure-lowering drugs may also be protecting themselves from declines in memory and other brain function, research suggests.
The drugs that researchers believe are protective are part of a class known as ACE inhibitors - specifically those types that enter the brain and may help curb inflammation that might contribute to dementia.
The study found a link between taking these "centrally acting" ACE inhibitors and lower rates of mental decline as measured by the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam, a test that evaluates memory, language, and other cognitive functions. For each year that subjects were exposed to centrally acting ACE inhibitors that enter the brain, the decline in test results was 50 percent lower than the decline in people taking other kinds of high blood pressure pills.