Shingles vaccine linked to slower biological aging in seniors

A new study from researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) sought to determine whether vaccination against shingles was accompanied by measurable changes in certain biological markers associated with aging. Their analysis focused on a cohort of 3,884 American adults aged 70 and older from the U.S.-based Health and Retirement Study. After adjustment, vaccination was associated with a decrease in the inflammatory score (β = -0.14; p = 0.0027) and epigenetic aging (β = -0.1; p = 0.0001).The results of this study, published in the Journals of Gerontology, “add to emerging evidence suggesting that vaccines may play a role in promoting healthy aging by modulating biological systems beyond infection prevention,” said first author Jung Ki Kim, associate research professor of gerontology at USC.The researchers also observed an association with age-related gene expression—a molecular indicator that reflects the biological activity of cells—(β = -0.19; p < 0.0001), as well as with an overall score combining several bodily systems (β = -0.18; p = 0.0002). In contrast, no significant association was found for blood markers associated with neurodegenerative processes, nor for the cardiovascular parameters measured. A more surprising result concerns adaptive immunity, with a slightly higher score in vaccinated individuals (β = 0.09; p = 0.0133), suggesting a less favourable immune profile according to the authors' criteria.The researchers proposed a hypothesis centred on low-grade chronic inflammation, often associated with aging. By reducing the reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus, vaccination could mitigate this persistent immune stimulation and influence several systems. "The association between shingles vaccination and slower biological aging suggests that the effects of immune modulation could impact several areas of the physiology of aging," the researchers wrote in their study. The observed signal thus relates to inflammation, epigenetics and gene expression.However, the authors urge caution and refrain from establishing a causal link. "All the biomarker data was cross-sectional, which limits our ability to draw conclusions about changes over time," they explained. The effect sizes remain modest, on the order of 0.15 to 0.20 standard deviations. Most importantly, the lack of association with blood markers linked to neurodegenerative processes tempers any extrapolation toward potential cognitive prevention.Canadian and Quebec frameworksIn Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends the recombinant zoster (shingles) vaccine (RZV)—marketed under the name Shingrix—for immunocompetent adults aged 50 and over, as well as for immunocompromised individuals aged 18 and over. The regimen consists of two doses. The American study, for its part, focused on the older live-attenuated vaccine Zostavax, which is no longer the preferred product in the country.In Quebec, shingles vaccination is offered free of charge to people aged 71 and over, as well as to immunocompromised adults aged 18 and over, with a recently announced expansion of the program to include 71- to 74-year-olds. Each year, the province records approximately 27,000 cases of shingles, including nearly 600 hospitalizations and about 10 deaths, with the disease primarily affecting adults aged 50 and over.These figures highlight the clinical burden that vaccination aims to reduce, particularly through the prevention of postherpetic neuralgia, which occurs in a significant proportion of cases. The Quebec program relies on the recombinant vaccine, but recent consolidated data on vaccination coverage in the target population has not yet been published.So what should you take away? Neither NACI guidelines nor Quebec policy make any reference to potential benefits on markers of biological aging. That said, the University of Southern California’s research points to a steady trend: vaccinated people seem to have a better biological profile, particularly when looking at inflammation levels and molecular clocks. However, this data remains exploratory and demonstrates neither causality nor measurable clinical benefit, much less a neurodegenerative effect.Even so, these findings might help shape the conversation around how we talk about vaccines, especially as general public interest in getting vaccinated has been dipping lately.ReferenceKim JK, Crimmins EM. Association between shingles vaccination and slower biological aging: Evidence from a U.S. population-based cohort study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 20 Jan 2026:glag008. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glag008 This article was initially published on our sister site ProfessionSanté.ca and has been translated from its original French.

Shingles vaccine linked to slower biological aging in seniors

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics