Quick Facts

• Adults who received the shingles vaccine experienced 17% lower dementia risk and 164 additional days without cognitive decline diagnosis
• Heart disease patients who got the shingles shot had nearly half the rate of heart attacks and strokes compared to unvaccinated patients
• Only 36% of adults over 50 have received at least one shingles vaccine dose, leaving 50-60 million eligible Americans unprotected

The shingles vaccine delivers health benefits far beyond preventing the painful rash condition, according to multiple studies published in early 2026.

A February 2026 Nature Medicine study found that adults who received the recombinant shingles vaccine had a 17% increase in diagnosis-free time from dementia. This translates to 164 additional days lived without a dementia diagnosis for those who later developed the condition.

Cardiovascular benefits proved equally striking. Heart disease patients who received the shingles vaccine experienced nearly half the rate of heart attacks, strokes and other serious cardiac events compared to unvaccinated patients, researchers reported at the American College of Cardiology meeting.

“The level of protection that heart disease patients gain from the shingles vaccine is on par with the health boost from quitting smoking,” said lead researcher Dr. Robert Nguyen. “This vaccine has been found over and over again to have cardioprotective effects for reducing heart attack, stroke and death.”

The vaccine’s anti-aging properties emerged from a January study in the Journals of Gerontology. Vaccinated adults showed slower biological aging at the molecular level, including reduced inflammation throughout the body.

“The shot seems to have this wider benefit of basically helping control aging,” said Dr. Eileen Crimmins, study co-author and USC gerontology professor. “A lot of people think inflammation is one of the very most basic mechanisms of aging.”

Despite these findings, vaccination rates remain low. Only 36% of adults over 50 have received at least one dose, according to 2022 data. Regional disparities compound the problem, with coverage ranging from 42.8% in West North Central states to just 26.3% in East South Central states.

The stakes continue rising as shingles cases increase across age groups. NBA star Tyrese Haliburton, 26, recently contracted shingles, highlighting that the condition affects younger adults more frequently than previously recognized.

“I had a huge rash on my face for two or three weeks. Now it’s just been itching,” Haliburton said about his experience.

Doctors recommend vaccination at age 50, when insurance typically covers the two-shot series. The vaccine prevents the reactivation of varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox in childhood and can emerge later as shingles when the immune system weakens.

Read more: Shingles can hit younger than you think. The vaccine can prevent excruciating pain