New Study Suggests Shingles Vaccine Could Delay Dementia

A new study published in Nature Medicine has revealed that the latest shingles vaccine may help delay the onset of dementia. This research was reported by CBS News and has sparked excitement in the medical community.

The study found that people who received the latest shingles vaccine lived, on average, 164 days longer without a dementia diagnosis compared to those who got previous shingles vaccines. This is a significant finding, according to Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. She shared her thoughts on “CBS Mornings”:

“The fact that we have a vaccine that’s already approved, already out there, and covered by insurance, super easy to get. The fact that that is showing this kind of level of protection is really promising for a lot,” she said.

Dr. Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, also commented on the study, emphasizing the importance of finding new ways to reduce the risk of dementia: “Dementia isn’t an inevitable part of ageing; it’s caused by diseases like Alzheimer’s. So finding new ways to reduce people’s risk of developing these diseases is vital,” Scales said.

However, it’s still unclear how the shingles vaccine might be reducing the risk of dementia. Scales noted, “It will be critical to study this apparent effect further.”

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that everyone should get the two-dose shingles vaccine starting at age 50. Dr. Gounder raised an important question:

“I think the real question before us now is, should we be starting to vaccinate even earlier? Will you need more doses if you start vaccinating earlier? We don’t have answers to that yet,” Gounder said.

Preventing dementia later in life involves maintaining overall health. This includes controlling blood pressure, avoiding diabetes through good diet and exercise, managing diabetes if you have it, and quitting smoking. Dr. Gounder also pointed out a newer risk factor: air pollution caused by wildfire smoke.

“Try to minimize your exposure, get some indoor air filtration units. You might want to be wearing a mask outdoors during those periods,” Gounder advised.