Free Republic

The list of potential benefits of the shingles vaccine continues to grow. Beyond protecting against the viral infection and resulting painful rash, the shot has also been linked to a reduced risk of dementia, as Fox News Digital previously reported. And now, a new study has found that the vaccine could lower the risk of heart disease for up to eight years. DEMENTIA RISK COULD DIP WITH COMMON VACCINE, STUDY SUGGESTS In the long-running study, researchers analyzed up to 12 years of data for more than 1.2 million people aged 50 or older in South Korea, focusing on shingles vaccination...

A study of more than 200,000 people by researchers found at least a 17% reduction in dementia diagnoses in the six years after the new recombinant shingles vaccination, equating to 164 or more additional days lived without dementia. The benefit was seen in both sexes but was greater in women, and the findings suggest that the recombinant shingles vaccine may have additional value in terms of protection against dementia. Shingles is a painful and serious condition afflicting many elderly people. It is caused by the Herpes zoster virus that can flare up in people who previously had chicken pox. After...