Shingles Vaccination Linked to Slower Biological Aging in Older Adults, finds study
Researchers have found in a new research that beyond preventing herpes zoster, the shingles vaccine may be associated with slower biological aging in older adults. In a large observational study of 3,884 individuals aged 70 years and above, they found that vaccinated adults showed more favorable markers of biological age, reflecting better tissue and organ system function, compared with unvaccinated peers. The study was published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A by Jung K. and colleagues. These findings suggest potential broader health benefits of shingles vaccination beyond infection prevention.
Biological aging consists of various factors including immune system dysfunction, inflammatory changes, cardiovascular changes, neuronal changes, and changes in molecules including epigenetic and transcriptomics. Vaccine-induced changes could be beneficial by reducing reactivations of viruses, immune system activation, and systemic inflammatory changes.
The study examined data from the national, population-based United States Health and Retirement Study, involving a cohort of participants aged 70 years old and above, totaling 3,884 as of 2016. Biological measures were conducted through a blood test, flow cytometry, and a series of physical assessments, while information regarding participants' vaccination against shingles was gathered through a survey. Weighted linear regression analyses were carried out, considering other covariates.
Key findings
The vaccination process was significantly associated with favorable biological aging profiles in several domains.
Vaccinated adults were found to have lower inflammation (β = -0.14, p = 0.0027), epigenetic aging (β = -0.17, p = 0.0001), transcriptomic aging (β = -0.19, p < 0.0001), as well as a lower biological aging score (β = -0.18, p = 0.0002), measuring slower rates of overall biological aging.
Differently, in contrast to all other domains, higher adaptive immunity was attributed to adults who received the shingles vaccine (β = 0.09, p = 0.0133).
The effect of vaccination against shingles might delay biological aging in adults, as indicated by a reduced inflammatory response, slower rates of biological processes of molecular aging, especially in the initial three years post-inoculation, and sustained long-term changes. Although some biological domains failed to show favorable effects, this study supports the concept that adult vaccines might contribute to favorable aspects of human aging, aside from preventing infectious diseases.
References
Jung Ki Kim, Eileen M Crimmins, Association between shingles vaccination and slower biological aging: Evidence from a U.S. population-based cohort study, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 2026;, glag008, https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glag008
