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Shingles Vaccine Linked to 17% Lower Dementia Risk

10/11/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Pascal Geldsetzer of Stanford University led a study linking shingles vaccination to a lower dementia risk over seven years.
Using a natural experiment, Geldsetzer compared people born just before and after the 2013 vaccine eligibility cutoff to isolate the effect.
The newer recombinant vaccine Shingrix was associated with a 17% lower dementia risk than the older Zostavax, though further studies are needed.

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Story summary

Pascal Geldsetzer of Stanford University led a study linking shingles vaccination to a lower dementia risk over seven years.
Using a natural experiment, Geldsetzer compared people born just before and after the 2013 vaccine eligibility cutoff to isolate the effect.
The newer recombinant vaccine Shingrix was associated with a 17% lower dementia risk than the older Zostavax, though further studies are needed.