BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Choosing the right blood pressure medication can take some time and research for patients, since there are so many different kinds of medications on the market today.

But researchers from Loyola University Health System recently confirmed that, in the long term, older diuretics are the same, if not better, at preventing cardiovascular disease.

Diuretics are sometimes called water pills. They help kidneys remove sodium and water from the body, relaxing the blood vessel walls.

Participants were randomly assigned to take a diuretic, the calcium channel blocker, amlodipine, or the ACE inhibitor, lisinopril.

People taking the diuretic had a lower stroke risk than those taking the ACE inhibitor, and a lower risk of hospitalization or dying from heart failure than those taking the calcium channel blocker.

Diuretics are generally cheaper than newer drugs which can cost several hundred dollars a year.

But diuretics account for only about 30 percent of hypertension prescriptions written today. Patients should talk with their doctor to find out which blood pressure medication is best for them.