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Shingles Vaccine Could Protect Heart Health

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 7, 2025.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 7, 2025 — The shingles vaccine has benefits that stretch beyond protecting older adults from the painful skin condition, a new study says.

Folks who get the shingles jab have a 23% lower risk of health problems like stroke, heart failure and heart disease, researchers reported May 6 in the European Heart Journal.

This protective effect lasts for at least eight years, results indicate.

“Our study suggests that the shingles vaccine may help lower the risk of heart disease, even in people without known risk factors,” senior researcher Dong Keon Yon, an assistant professor at Kyung Hee University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, said in a news release. “This means that vaccination could offer health benefits beyond preventing shingles.”

Shingles occurs among people who’ve had a chickenpox infection earlier in their lives. The chickenpox virus — herpes zoster — lies dormant in nerve cells for decades, then may re-emerge to cause the painful rash or blisters associated with shingles.

“Without vaccination, about 30% of people may develop shingles in their lifetime,” Yon said. “In addition to the rash, shingles has been linked to a higher risk of heart problems, so we wanted to find out if getting vaccinated could lower this risk.”

For the study, researchers tracked the health of nearly 1.3 million South Koreans 50 and older between 2012 to 2021. Half of the people had received the shingles vaccine.

Results showed that among people who got the vaccine, there was a:

• 23% lower risk of heart health problems overall.

• 26% lower risk of stroke, heart attack, or death from heart disease.

• 26% lower risk of heart failure.

• 22% lower risk of heart disease.

“There are several reasons why the shingles vaccine may help reduce heart disease,” Yon said. “A shingles infection can cause blood vessel damage, inflammation and clot formation that can lead to heart disease. By preventing shingles, vaccination may lower these risks.”

Men, people younger than 60, and those with unhealthy lifestyles particularly benefit from the shingle’s vaccine heart-health protections, researchers said. Smoking, drinking and lack of exercise were among the unhealthy habits noted.

“Our study found stronger benefits in younger people, probably due to a better immune response, and in men, possibly due to differences in vaccine effectiveness,” Yon said.

However, further study is needed since this research involved Asian people, and might not apply to people from other backgrounds, researchers noted.

The vaccine studied in this research was a live zoster vaccine, meaning it contained a weakened form of the virus that causes shingles. That vaccine, also known as Zostavax, is no longer available in the U.S.

Instead, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the two-dose Shingrix shingle vaccine for seniors 50 and older. The vaccination is recommended even in people who aren’t sure if they had chickenpox as a child.

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted May 2025

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