Getting two shots of the shingles vaccine when you're 65 or older might also help lower your chances of getting dementia later on—even if you never even had shingles.

Getting two shots of the shingles vaccine when you're 65 or older might lower your chances of getting dementia by about half, even if you've had shingles before or come from any background — it’s not a guarantee, but studies suggest a strong link.

Older adults who got two shots of the shingles vaccine had less than half the rate of dementia compared to those who didn’t get the vaccine—so the shingles shot might be linked to a lower risk of memory problems.

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.

People who got two shots of the shingles vaccine were less likely to develop dementia later on—even when researchers checked for things like the pandemic or how dementia was diagnosed—so it might actually help protect your brain.