Certain medications used to treat hypertension appear to reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly, according to a new study.

So-called ACE inhibitors – angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors – may help reduce inflammation that might contribute to dementia, say researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The researchers examined data from nearly 6,000 people age 65 and older. They found that for each year that people took centrally acting ACE inhibitors, they had a 50% lower rate of mental decline than people taking other kinds of hypertension drugs.