According to new research, diuretics are still the best first-line treatment for controlling high blood pressure in older men and women. The most current data of a long-running clinical trial found that a diuretic beat three other blood pressure treatments--a calcium channel blocker, an ACE inhibitor, and an alpha-receptor blocker--in many areas of blood pressure management. This type of drug was particularly effective at reducing the incidence of heart failure and stroke, researchers say.