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Shingles Vaccine (Shingrix) Linked to Lower Dementia Risk, Study Finds

By U.S. News & World Report

A new study has found that U.S. adults over the age of 65 who received both doses of the recombinant zoster shingles vaccine (Shingrix) had a lower rate of dementia than others in the same age group. It was also linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

[Read: Shingles on the Face: Symptoms, Treatments and Causes]

Why This Study Matters

The large-scale study is one of the first to evaluate the two-dose recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix) in a large sample group. Previous research has shown that dementia risk is lower with the live-attenuated zoster vaccine (Zostavax), which is no longer available in the U.S.

Shingles is a virus that causes chickenpox, known as varicella zoster, that can lie dormant in a person’s immune system for decades before resurfacing as painful, itchy rashes. While shingles can occur in anyone who has previously had the chickenpox at any time, it is most common in those above the age of 50.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the Shingrix vaccine in two doses for adults aged 50 and older to prevent shingles and related complications. It is also recommended for adults with weakened immune systems.

Published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the study analyzed the incidence rate of dementia in 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries. The subjects were broken into two groups: 502,845 people who received both doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine, and 1,005,690 people who were unvaccinated.

Following up on the group in three years or less, those who had received the recombinant shingles vaccine had a 33% less risk of any type of dementia, a 28% less risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 33% less risk of vascular dementia.

The findings support growing evidence that the herpes zoster vaccine is associated with a lower risk of new-onset dementia.

[SEE: The Connection Between Hearing Loss and Dementia]

Limitations of the Study and Next Steps in Dementia Research

The authors concede that the study has numerous limitations, including the possibility that dementia diagnoses could have been misclassified and the outcomes could have been inadvertently influenced by variables, such as each person’s highest level of education, marital status or physical activity, which couldn’t be measured within the study.

Despite the accumulating real-world evidence, further work is needed to evaluate if there is a causal association between recombinant zoster vaccine and reduced risk of dementia.

According to the study, dementia rates are projected to increase from 50 million people to 152 million people worldwide by 2050. Globally, 8.1% of adults aged 65 and older already have dementia.

Though there aren’t any known foolproof ways to prevent dementia, there are established strategies that can help reduce your risk, including staying physically active, mentally stimulated, nurturing social connections and managing stress.

[READ: Vaccinations and Immunizations Recommended for Adults]

What This Study Means for You: Should You Get Vaccinated?

The results of this study add weight to the already strong case for receiving the shingles vaccine. While the primary goal of the vaccine is to prevent shingles — a painful, often debilitating condition — the association with reduced dementia risk provides a powerful potential secondary benefit for older adults.

— Consult Your Doctor: If you are over the age of 50, the CDC recommends the two-dose Shingrix vaccine to prevent shingles. Discuss your eligibility and vaccination schedule with your primary care physician.

— Focus on Proven Risk Reduction: While the dementia link is promising, it is not yet proven causation. Continue to prioritize established dementia prevention strategies, including maintaining a brain-healthy diet, exercising regularly and staying socially and mentally active.

— Ensure Both Doses: The study specifically focused on individuals who received both doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine. Completion of the full two-dose series, typically given 2 to 6 months apart, is essential for optimal protection.

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Shingles Vaccine (Shingrix) Linked to Lower Dementia Risk, Study Finds originally appeared on usnews.com

Trump declines to rule out declaring a national security emergency to control the 2026 election

By CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump in a new interview declined to rule out declaring a national security emergency as a means to try to assert more control over the 2026 midterm elections.It’s merely the latest warning sign that Trump could try to mess with the election not just by baselessly claiming voter fraud and challenging the results afterward — as he did in 2020, leading to a violent riot at the US Capitol — but by trying to unilaterally take control before votes are cast.In the interview, Wayne Allyn Root of Real America’s Voice pitched such a scenario to Trump. He suggested it as an alternative, given the Senate has failed to pass Trump’s coveted elections bill, known as the “SAVE America Act.”“If they never get the SAVE America Act done, you have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections,” Root said. He added that “if you declare a national security emergency as the president of the United States, they can’t challenge it. It can only be overturned by a two-thirds vote by both houses of Congress. So if you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship (for voter registration) and a limit to mail-in ballots.”It’s at this point that Trump cut Root off and coyly suggested such an option was indeed in play.“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK?” Trump said. “I’ll leave it at that.”Despite Root’s comments, it’s far from clear such a gambit would even work. And CNN has asked the White House for more detail on what the president meant.Trump often responds to hypotheticals by declining to rule them out — no matter how extreme the proposal might be. So it’s possible to read too much into this.But as CNN’s Jake Tapper has noted, there are plenty of signals that Trump at least aspires to try to exert more control over elections. And these methods often appear transparently geared toward helping Republicans.A major one is the administration’s threat to have the US Postal Service not deliver mail ballots for states that don’t comply with its demand that they hand over their voter lists. This is a request that even many red states have rejected, citing privacy concerns.Democrats are much more likely to use mail ballots, which Trump has baselessly connected to widespread fraud. So curtailing them could greatly help Republicans.(Federal courts have blocked this Trump executive order, and the administration recently appealed to the Supreme Court.)Trump has also gone to great lengths to try to substantiate his still-baseless claims of widespread fraud. That includes the administration seizing 2020 ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, and Trump’s recent primetime address about election security that some read as a statement of intent — a pretext for more direct federal involvement in elections, which are run by states.Ty Cobb, who served as White House counsel in Trump’s first term, said he interpreted the speech last month as a “predicate that he needs to declare an emergency.”And Trump has occasionally said things, like he did in the new interview, suggesting he would like to take control of US elections.Back in February, he urged his party to “take over the voting in at least 15 places,” adding: “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”The Washington Post also reported in March that pro-Trump activists were circulating a potential executive order that claimed Chinese interference in the 2020 election gave Trump emergency authorities over the 2026 election. And Trump’s primetime address focused on China, despite the tenuous evidence.Trump’s intense focus on the “SAVE America Act,” which has never appeared to have a chance to pass but Trump has said is vital, could also be read as part of building the case for more drastic action.But whether Trump could take over elections himself, as Root posits, is far from certain.As CNN’s Marshall Cohen and Michael Williams reported in February, the Constitution makes it difficult for Trump to truly “nationalize” elections. Courts have overwhelmingly upheld the principle that states are in charge of elections.Presidents generally have more authority to act unilaterally when national security is involved — hence the significance of invoking China — but some experts are skeptical that Trump’s effort would pass legal muster.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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