The study looked at data on nearly 3,300 elderly people living in Cache County, Utah, of which morethan 1,500 used hypertension medication. Data werecollected from 1995 to 1998. by the end of that pe-riod, 104 participants had developed Alzheimer’s. People who were taking blood pressure medica- tion at the beginning of the study had a decreasedrisk of Alzheimer’s, compared to those who werenot. Participants who took diuretics had a reduc-tion of more than 70% in the risk of Alzheimer’s.Diuretics contain additional components that main-tain the blood level of potassium. Calcium channelblockers caused a risk reduction of up to 50%, andother blood pressure drugs had little effect on therisk of Alzheimer’s. Dr. Zandi says it is still unclear why some blood pressure medication reduces the development ofAlzheimer’s and other does not.