Shingles vaccine may lower dementia risk, new study finds
Brown University researchers found that older adults receiving the current U.S. shingles vaccine had a 24% lower risk of dementia over four years. The study included data from 509,926 people. Findings suggest the vaccine may help protect the aging brain.
What changed
New data specifies the study analyzed 509,926 people and identifies Shingrix as the improved shot showing promise.
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Shingles Vaccine Linked to 24% Lower Dementia Risk
confidence 90%Brown University researchers found that older adults receiving the current U.S. shingles vaccine had a 24% lower risk of dementia over four years. The study included data from 509,926 people. Findings suggest the vaccine may help protect the aging brain.
What's confirmed:
- A Brown University study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that older adults who received the current U.S. shingles vaccine had a 24% lower risk of dementia over four years.
- The research analyzed patient data for 509,926 people.
- Previous evidence suggests the Zostavax vaccine protects against dementia.
Still unconfirmed:
- A 2025 study suggests the vaccine reduces dementia likelihood especially among women.
- The vaccine may reduce dementia risk by up to ~20-30% and potentially slow disease progression.
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Shingles vaccine linked to 24% lower dementia risk
confidence 90%A Brown University study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that nursing home residents who received a shingles vaccine had a 24% lower risk of dementia over four years. Previous evidence also suggests the Zostavax brand vaccine protects against the condition. Researchers now seek large-scale randomized trials to confirm these effects.
What's confirmed:
- Nursing home residents who received a shingles vaccine had a 24% lower risk of dementia over four years.
- Brown University published this research in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Still unconfirmed:
- The Zostavax brand shingles vaccine can protect against dementia.
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Shingles Vaccines Linked to Lower Dementia Risk
confidence 90%Research suggests both live-attenuated and recombinant shingles vaccines may reduce the risk of dementia in older adults. Experts now identify large-scale randomized trials as the necessary next step for the field. These findings follow observations of decreased dementia diagnoses in nursing home residents.
What's confirmed:
- Older adults who received the shingles vaccine were less likely to develop dementia in following years.
- The live-attenuated shingles vaccine is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia.
Still unconfirmed:
- The recombinant shingles vaccine may provide similar benefits to the live-attenuated vaccine.
- A US National Institutes of Health expert workshop identified large-scale randomized trials of shingles vaccination for dementia prevention as the crucial next step.
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Shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk
confidence 60%Research from Brown University indicates the U.S. shingles vaccine may reduce dementia risk. The study observed a significant drop in dementia diagnoses among nursing home residents over four years.
Still unconfirmed:
- Common vaccines may provide hidden cognitive benefits.
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Shingles Vaccine Linked to Lower Dementia Risk in Older Adults
confidence 100%A new study led by Brown University suggests that the shingles vaccine used in the U.S. may reduce the risk of dementia. Research focused on nursing home residents and found a significant decrease in dementia diagnoses over a four-year period.
What's confirmed:
- Nursing home residents who received at least one dose of the shingles vaccine were 24 percent less likely to develop dementia over four years.
- Brown University researchers led the study on older adults and the current U.S. shingles vaccine.
- The analysis included 500,000 skilled-nursing facility residents in the U.S.
- The recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) prevents herpes zoster, known as shingles.