Does The Shingles Vaccine Slow Aging? New Research Explains
When I was 6 weeks postpartum, I started to notice something was off. Sure, I was extremely tired and adjusting to life as a first-time parent (during a global pandemic, no less) but this was something else.
I had a strange, painful, tingling sensation on one side of my torso. After a couple days, it only got worse, with red blisters popping up there and just below my belly button.
At 33 years old, shingles was far from the first possibility to cross my mind, but after consulting my physician, it was clear that’s what I had. Our best guess is that the stress I was under acted as a trigger, plus I was at a generally higher risk, having had the chickenpox as a kid, and also since I have an autoimmune disease.
I was extremely lucky in how mild my case was. I could still function and care for my newborn, but I’ve heard nightmare accounts of multi-day hospital stays and debilitating pain, even in other 30-somethings.
In all honesty, I'd always thought of the shingles vaccine as, well, something for the “older folks,” since I thought shingles only affected that age bracket (wrong!). But new research suggests it may do something even more remarkable, that we may not want to postpone: slow down biological aging itself.
What the research shows
A study published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A1 analyzed data from 18,746 U.S. adults aged 50 and older. Researchers wanted to know whether the recombinant zoster vaccine (that's Shingrix, the two-dose shingles vaccine) was associated with markers of biological aging.
The findings were striking. Vaccinated individuals had:
- Lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a key marker of inflammation
- Slower epigenetic aging, as measured by a tool called DunedinPACE
In other words, people who got the shingles vaccine showed signs of aging more slowly at the cellular level compared to those who didn't.
Additional research has found that the shingles vaccine can cut the rate of serious cardiac events in half for people with heart disease. It’s also been found2 to prevent or delay dementia and mild cognitive impairment and reduce the risk of death in those already living with dementia.
Why inflammation matters for aging
Here’s the thing about chronic inflammation: it's not just about feeling achy or swollen. Scientists have a term for the low-grade, persistent inflammation that accumulates as we age—"inflammaging." And it's linked to nearly every age-related disease you can think of, from heart disease to cognitive decline.
CRP is one of the most reliable ways to measure this kind of inflammation. In the study, vaccinated adults were 17% less likely to have elevated CRP levels compared to unvaccinated adults—even after researchers accounted for factors like age, sex, education, and health behaviors.
That's a meaningful difference, and it suggests the vaccine may be doing something beyond just preventing a painful rash.
The biological age connection
Now, let's talk about biological age—which is different from the number of candles on your birthday cake.
Your chronological age is simply how many years you've been alive. But your biological age reflects how old your cells and tissues actually function. Two people who are both 55 can have very different biological ages depending on their genetics, lifestyle, and—apparently—vaccination status.
The researchers used something called DunedinPACE to measure the pace of biological aging. Think of it like a speedometer for how fast your body is aging. A lower DunedinPACE score means you're aging more slowly.
Vaccinated adults in the study had significantly lower DunedinPACE scores, suggesting their biological clocks were ticking a bit more slowly than their unvaccinated peers.
How might the shingles vaccine slow aging?
This is where it gets interesting. The researchers propose a few possible explanations:
Preventing viral reactivation: The varicella-zoster virus (the same virus that causes chickenpox) lies dormant in your nerve cells for life after you recover. When it reactivates, it causes shingles—and triggers an inflammatory response. By preventing reactivation, the vaccine may reduce this inflammatory burden over time.
The adjuvant effect: Shingrix contains an adjuvant called AS01B, which helps boost your immune response to the vaccine. Some research suggests this adjuvant may have broader immune-modulating effects that could benefit overall immune function.
Now, an important caveat: this was an observational study, which means it can show association but not causation. It's possible that people who get vaccinated are also more likely to engage in other healthy behaviors. But the researchers did control for many of these factors, and the biological plausibility is compelling.
Considering the shingles vaccine
The CDC recommends Shingrix for:
- Adults 50 and older
- Adults 19 and older with weakened immune systems
It's a two-dose series, with the second shot given 2 to 6 months after the first. And here's something worth knowing if you’re like me and have had shingles: getting vaccinated can help prevent future episodes (you can get shingles more than once).
Now, like any medical decision, vaccinations are a very personal choice. That being said, it’s nice to see that something like the shingle vaccine can offer multiple far-reaching benefits beyond just shingles. More bang for your jab, if you will.
The takeaway
What stayed with me the most after having shingles was the realization that this virus had been quietly living in my body for decades, just waiting for the right moment to strike. Knowing that the vaccine could prevent future episodes, while offering extra perks for healthy aging, has encouraged me to bring it up at my next appointment.