Unique Study Is Latest to Show Shingles Vaccine Can Help Prevent Dementia

As if you needed another reason to get your shingles vaccine. Research released today is the latest to find that older people vaccinated against shingles are significantly less likely to develop dementia down the road. Scientists at Stanford University led the research, published in Nature. They compared people born before and after they were eligible to take the shingles vaccine in a certain part of the UK, finding that vaccinated people were 20% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over a seven year period. More research is needed to understand and confirm this link, but the findings suggest shingles vaccination can become a cost-effective preventative measure against dementia. “For the first time, we now have evidence that likely shows a cause-and-effect relationship between shingles vaccination and dementia prevention.” Numerous studies in recent years have pointed to a possible added benefit from taking the shingles vaccine, which protects people from a reactivated infecti ... Read full article.