Getting the shingles vaccine might help lower your risk of developing different kinds of dementia, especially a mix of Alzheimer’s and blood vessel problems in the brain.

People who got the shingles vaccine didn’t have more or fewer other health problems than those just barely eligible for it—and since those groups were otherwise similar, it looks like the vaccine might help lower dementia risk, not just luck or other health habits.

People with dementia who got the shingles vaccine were nearly 30% less likely to die from dementia over nine years—maybe the vaccine helps slow down how fast dementia gets worse, even in advanced stages.

Getting the shingles shot doesn’t seem to make older people healthier in general—but it might specifically help lower their risk of dementia, and that’s probably not just a coincidence.

Getting the shingles shot might lower your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease by about a quarter to a third when you’re 65 or older — at least, that’s what some big health studies have noticed.

Getting the shingles shot when you're 65 or older might help lower your chances of developing dementia by about a third over the next several years.