Getting two shots of the shingles vaccine might help older adults stay mentally sharper for a few years, lowering their chance of developing mild memory problems that can come before dementia.

Getting the shingles vaccine might help older adults stay sharper longer — a study found they were 16% less likely to develop mild memory problems in the first few years after vaccination.

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.

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.

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.