Researchers looked at health records from more than 300,000 people in Wales between 2013 and 2022, and found that the herpes zoster (HZ) vaccine (the medical term for shingles) \u201cslows or prevents disease progression across the entire disease course \u2026 of dementia,\u201d according to new research published in the medical journal Cell.<\/a><\/p>\n The researchers found that for those living with dementia, the vaccine reduced their risk of death by 29.5%; For those who had not been diagnosed, the vaccine lessened the likelihood of being diagnosed with cognitive impairment by 3%.<\/p>\n Getty<\/p>\n Stock image of a doctor preparing a vaccine.<\/p>\n \u201cThe effect of HZ vaccination \u2014 both on reducing new diagnoses of MCI and deaths due to dementia\u2014 was larger among women than men,\u201d the study noted.<\/p>\n \u201cThat means that the vaccine doesn\u2019t just have a preventive potential, but actually a therapeutic potential as a treatment, because we see some benefits already among those who have dementia,\u201d Dr. Pascal Geldsetzer<\/a>, assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University and senior author of the new study, told CNN<\/a>. \u201cTo me, this was really exciting to see and unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now<\/a>!<\/p>\n The shingles vaccine is a two-dose series of shots given at age 50,\u00a0or to immunocompromised adults once they turn 19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control<\/a> explains. One in three adults will develop shingles, which causes an itchy rash on one side of the body and significant, often long-term, nerve pain.<\/p>\n It\u2019s caused by the same virus as chickenpox, the CDC explains \u2014\u00a0but even if you\u2019ve had chickenpox, you should be vaccinated as the \u201cvirus stays dormant (inactive) in the body. It can reactivate years later and cause shingles.\u201d<\/p>\n Getty<\/p>\n Stock image of an older adult with dementia.<\/p>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/f7baf0fc9b1da4d5fd951b9b05693c60.jpeg\"\/)
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