Beyond preventing a painful and debilitating illness, new research suggests the shingles vaccine may offer surprising benefits for overall health. A study from the University of Southern California indicates that individuals vaccinated against shingles experience slower biological aging and reduced inflammation. These findings build upon growing evidence that vaccines could play a broader role in preventative medicine, extending beyond protection from infectious diseases to possibly mitigating age-related decline.The CDC currently recommends two doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine for adults 50 and older [[1]].
Vaccines may offer benefits beyond preventing infection.
Research suggests that the way some vaccines train the immune system could also lower the risk of cancer, stroke, heart attack, and even offer protection against dementia.
New evidence indicates that the shingles vaccine is linked to a slowing of biological aging, with benefits lasting for several years after vaccination. This finding highlights the potential for vaccines to play a broader role in preventative health.
Researchers at the University of California, Southern California – gerontologists Jung Ki Kim and Eileen Crimmins – say the results suggest the vaccine may have “substantial” and long-lasting effects on “processes associated with aging.”
The study, which followed over 3,800 participants in the U.S. aged 70 and older, found that those who received the shingles vaccine after age 60 scored better on composite measures of biological aging compared to those who were unvaccinated.
Vaccinated participants also showed biological markers associated with lower levels of inflammation and a slower rate of “overall molecular and biological aging,” researchers report.
These associations remained even after accounting for differences in demographics and health status between the two groups.
While the study doesn’t prove that the shingles vaccine directly leads to healthier aging, the findings add to other observational studies linking the vaccine to broader health benefits in older adults, particularly for the heart and brain. This growing body of evidence is prompting further investigation into the potential of vaccines beyond traditional infectious disease prevention.
“By contributing to the reduction of background inflammation – possibly by preventing reactivation of the virus that causes shingles – the vaccine could play a role in supporting healthier aging,” explains Jung Ki Kim.
“Although the exact biological mechanisms are not yet fully understood, the potential of vaccination to reduce inflammation makes it a promising component of broader strategies aimed at increasing the body’s resilience and slowing age-related decline.”
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is triggered by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Most people are infected with the virus in childhood, after which it remains dormant in the nervous system.
For a generally healthy person, shingles typically isn’t a major risk until later in life, which is why the two-dose vaccine is generally recommended for individuals over 60. Approximately 30% of people who are unvaccinated will develop shingles during their lifetime.
The first version of the shingles vaccine was authorized for use in the United States in 2006, and a newer version is currently available, which may yield even better long-term health outcomes. Further long-term studies are needed to confirm this with certainty. You can learn more about the research at www.sciencealert.com.
