People who got the shingles vaccine twice were less likely to get dementia later on than people who got the tetanus shot — and this wasn’t just because the shingles-vaccine recipients were already healthier to begin with.

People who got the shingles vaccine twice were 27% less likely to develop dementia later on than people who got a different vaccine (Tdap), even after accounting for the fact that healthier people tend to get more vaccines — so the shingles vaccine might be doing something special to protect the brain.

People who got the shingles vaccine twice were less likely to develop dementia later on than people who got a different vaccine (Tdap), and this isn’t just because they’re generally healthier or more likely to visit the doctor — the shingles vaccine might be doing something special to protect the brain.

Getting two shots of the shingles vaccine doesn’t seem to increase or decrease your risk of getting dementia — and any link people thought they saw was probably just a fluke in how data was collected, not because the vaccine actually affects the brain.

People 65 and older who got two shots of the shingles vaccine were about half as likely to be diagnosed with dementia later on, compared to those who didn’t get the vaccine — but this doesn’t prove the vaccine prevents dementia, just that the two are linked.

Getting two shots of the shingles vaccine might help lower your risk of getting dementia, no matter your age, race, or whether dementia is caused by Alzheimer’s or blood vessel problems.