Slower biological ageing: A shingles vaccination may be linked to slower biological ageing in older adults, according to a new analysis that tracked age-related changes in the body rather than the calendar.
Researchers from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology analysed data from more than 3,800 people who were 70 or older in 2016, drawing on the long-running US Health and Retirement Study. After accounting for factors such as demographics and health status, vaccinated participants showed slower biological ageing on average than those who were not vaccinated, the authors reported.
Also Read | Shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk, study suggests
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Risk rises with age and with weakened immune function. Vaccination is widely used to reduce the chance of shingles and its complications, including postherpetic neuralgia, a lingering nerve pain that can follow infection.
The study looked at multiple biological systems tied to ageing, including inflammation, immune function, cardiovascular measures related to blood flow, markers associated with neurodegeneration, and molecular indicators such as epigenetic and transcriptomic ageing. The team also combined these measures into a single composite ageing score. On average, vaccinated individuals had lower inflammatory markers, slower epigenetic and transcriptomic ageing, and a lower overall biological ageing score compared with unvaccinated participants.
The pattern also appeared to persist over time. Participants who had received a shingles vaccine four or more years before providing blood samples still showed slower biological ageing measures on average than those who had not been vaccinated.
The authors emphasised that the results show an association, not proof that vaccination directly slows ageing. Still, they said the findings add to a growing line of research exploring whether adult vaccines might influence health beyond preventing acute infections, potentially through effects on inflammation and immune regulation.