Can a shingles shot help prevent memory problems?
Developing Topics.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The dementia risk reduction was consistent across all racial and age subgroups — Black, white, Hispanic, 65–74, 75+, all showed nearly identical 51% reduction.
Most medical interventions show varying effectiveness by race or age — this uniformity across diverse groups is rare and suggests a biological mechanism that’s broadly applicable.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re 65 or older and haven’t gotten the two-dose shingles vaccine (Shingrix), talk to your doctor — it may offer unexpected brain protection.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The dementia risk reduction was consistent across all racial and age subgroups — Black, white, Hispanic, 65–74, 75+, all showed nearly identical 51% reduction.
Most medical interventions show varying effectiveness by race or age — this uniformity across diverse groups is rare and suggests a biological mechanism that’s broadly applicable.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re 65 or older and haven’t gotten the two-dose shingles vaccine (Shingrix), talk to your doctor — it may offer unexpected brain protection.
Publication
Journal
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
Year
2025
Authors
Emily Rayens, L. Sy, L. Qian, B. Ackerson, J. Tubert, Yi Luo, Punam P Modha, Raul O Calderon, Elizabeth Chmielewski-Yee, D. Oraichi, Huifeng Yun, Carol Koro, H. Tseng
Related Content
Claims (5)
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 who got two shots of the shingles vaccine were about half as likely to develop dementia later on, no matter how old they were or what race or ethnicity they belonged to.
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.
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.