People who got the shingles shot seem to have a lower chance of getting dementia than people who got the flu shot or the Tdap shot — and this isn’t just because healthier people tend to get more vaccines.

Older adults who got the shingles shot seem to be less likely to develop dementia than those who got the flu shot or the whooping cough shot — and that’s probably not just because getting any vaccine is good for you.

Older people who got the shingles shot seem to be less likely to develop dementia than those who got the flu shot or the whooping cough/tetanus/diphtheria shot — and that’s probably because the shingles vaccine itself is doing something special, not just because getting any vaccine is good for you.

Getting the shingles vaccine doesn’t make people more likely to die or get sick from other reasons, so if some studies link it to dementia, it’s probably not because vaccinated people are sicker overall or getting more medical checkups.

Getting the shingles shot might help keep your memory sharper for a little while—like pushing back dementia by a year or two—but it doesn’t stop it for good.

Getting the shingles shot might help keep your memory sharper for a little while—especially in the first year after you get it—but that benefit slowly fades over six years, like a temporary shield against dementia, not a permanent fix.