Why do vaccinated people seem to get dementia less?

If you can stop the chickenpox virus from waking up again in your nerves, it might calm down brain swelling and reduce harmful protein buildups that lead to memory problems and dementia.

People who get the shingles vaccine tend to live longer and have fewer heart attacks, strokes, and broken hips—but this might not be because the vaccine itself causes these benefits; it could just be that healthier people are more likely to get vaccinated.

In Wales, older people who are healthier and have more money or education are more likely to get the shingles shot, while those who are sicker or live in care homes are less likely to get it—so whether someone gets the vaccine might just show how healthy and proactive they are about their health.

People in Wales aged 70 and older who got the shingles shot were 28% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the next six years — but that doesn’t mean the vaccine prevents dementia, just that the two seem to be linked in some way.

Getting the shingles shot might lower your risk of a type of dementia caused by blood vessel problems in the brain more than it lowers your risk of Alzheimer’s, which is caused by brain plaques — so it might be helping your brain’s blood flow more than it’s cleaning up gunk.