Shingles Vaccine Can Reduce Heart Disease and Stroke Risk

While following a heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly can lower your risk of heart disease, new research suggests there’s something else you can do to give you a boost: Get your shingles vaccine.

In the study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers analyzed data from more than 70,000 people aged 60 and older who got some form of a shingles vaccine—either the current Shingrix vaccine or an older shingles vaccine called Zostavax.

The researchers looked for diagnoses like heart disease, heart failure, and stroke in the seven years after people got their shots. After analyzing the data, they found that people who got the Shingrix vaccine lived without cardiovascular disease for 9% longer than those who got the Zostavax vaccine. Participants who received the Shingrix vaccine were also 10% less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease and 12% less likely to be diagnosed with heart failure compared to people who received the Zostavax shot. What’s more, Shingrix was also linked with a 12% lower risk of stroke in men.

The findings come just months after another study linked the Shingrix vaccine with a lower risk of dementia. So why aren’t the majority of Americans eligible for the shingles vaccine getting it? Infectious disease experts and a cardiologist break down what you need to know.

Meet the experts: Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; Kevin Shah, M.D., cardiologist and program director of Heart Failure Outreach at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA; William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

How might the shingles vaccine protect your heart?

First, it’s important to note that the study simply found a link between getting the Shingrix vaccine and a lower risk of several cardiovascular diseases—it didn’t prove that the vaccine was causing it. Still, doctors say there’s likely something to this.

A lot of the association likely comes down to the way the varicella-zoster virus (which causes chickenpox and shingles) affects the body—so by preventing shingles cases, you can be protecting your heart and brain. “Varicella-zoster virus attacks blood vessel walls, particularly the cerebral and temporal arteries,” says Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. There, it can create an inflammatory attack on the artery itself, he explains. “That’s why the weeks after a case of shingles are a documented spike window for stroke and heart attack,” Dr. Adalja adds.

But while scientists write that warding off shingles cases can partly explain the link, it’s likely not responsible for all of it. They believe the vaccine might trigger changes to your immune system and blood vessels that “could be cardioprotective.”

For instance, Shingrix also contains an adjuvant called AS01, which is essentially a booster ingredient for the vaccine. “There’s a reasonable hypothesis that this kind of immune stimulation dampens chronic background inflammation more generally,” Dr. Adalja says.

The inflammation theory seems to be the main one, according to William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Again, potentially because of the vaccine’s effect itself and the reduction you can see by preventing the virus. “Shingles will create a rather prolonged inflammatory response,” he says. “If you eliminate that, you will also reduce the risk of subsequent heart attack and stroke.”

That lowered inflammation “can create a protective mechanism for the cardiovascular system—but this is all speculation at this point,” says Kevin Shah, M.D., cardiologist and program director of Heart Failure Outreach at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA.

There is a similar effect seen with the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine, Dr. Schaffner points out. “They all seem to have similar, unanticipated effects,” he says.

This isn’t the only study to link the shingles vaccine with a lowered risk of cardiovascular issues.

Research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in March analyzed data from people aged 50 and up with atherosclerotic disease, a condition in which the arteries become narrow and stiff. Of those, 123,411 people received at least one dose of the Shingrix or Zostavax vaccine. The researchers found that participants who received a shingles vaccine were:

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• 46% less likely to have a major adverse cardiac event
• 32% less likely to have a heart attack
• 25% less likely to have a stroke
• 25% less likely to experience heart failure within a year after being vaccinated
• 66% less likely to die from any cause during follow-up

And a 2025 study also found that healthy adults who got the shingles vaccine had a 23% lower risk of having a cardiovascular event for up to eight years.

In addition to lowering the risk of shingles by more than 90%, the shingles vaccine may lower your risk of dementia. Research published last year in Nature Medicine analyzed healthcare records of more than 100 million patients in the U.S. and found that those who received the shingles vaccine had a 33% lower risk of dementia compared to those who got the pneumococcal vaccine (which, of course, doesn’t protect against shingles but is recommended for people in the same age group).

But it’s important to put the findings into perspective. “This is a real, biologically plausible hypothesis that deserves a randomized trial—not a reason to treat Shingrix as a cardiac intervention or to substitute it for managing blood pressure, lipids, or diabetes,” Dr. Adalja says.

Why are so few people getting the shingles vaccine?

The two-dose shingles vaccine is recommended for all healthy adults aged 50 and up. But CDC data suggests that only about 42% of people who are eligible for the vaccine actually get it.

There are likely a few reasons for this, doctors say. For one, potential side effects from the vaccine don’t do it any favors, according to Dr. Adalja. “Shingrix produces a strong, deliberate immune reaction, so a meaningful share of people feel bad for a day or two after the first dose and some don’t come back for the second dose,” he says. The CDC lists tiredness, muscle pain, headache, shivering, and stomach pain as possible side effects—along with arm pain—which may last two to three days.

Some people have a misconception of what shingles is, dismissing it as “just a rash,” Dr. Adalja says, so they might not think it’s necessary to get a vaccine to prevent it. And while shingles does cause that (annoying, itchy, and uncomfortable) rash, it can also lead to serious complications like long-term nerve pain, vision loss, or infection.

There is also some concern with cost. If you get the vaccine between the ages of 50 and 64, your private insurance will pay for it, Dr. Schaffner says. After that, it’s covered by Medicare Part D. “Many doctors don’t want to deal with that because it’s an administrative hassle,” Dr. Schaffner says. “If doctors aren’t stocking and invested in it for people over the age of 64, they probably won’t give it to people 50 through 64 either.” So it can be tricky to get at your normal doctor’s office. (You can still get the Shingrix vaccine at your local pharmacy, though, he points out.)

Other ways to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke

While the shingles vaccine may help to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke, Dr. Shah stresses that this isn’t the only thing you should be doing. “Lifestyle factors like diet and exercise have been studied more rigorously—we have randomized controlled trials to support them for cardiovascular health,” he says.

So don’t depend on the shingles vaccine to do the heavy lifting for you in the prevention space. You should also follow tried-and-true methods of heart and stroke risk reduction—for instance, as detailed in the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, according to Dr. Shah:

• Eat a diet that focuses on fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, and seeds.
• Try to get in 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity a week.
• Don’t use tobacco.
• Aim to get at least seven hours of sleep a night.
• Try to manage your cholesterol by limiting sugary foods and drinks, red and processed meats, salty foods, refined carbohydrates, and highly processed foods.
• Try to manage your blood sugar.
• Stay on top of your blood pressure.

If you have any concerns about your shingles risk or cardiovascular disease risk factors, check in with your healthcare provider. They should be able to offer personalized guidance.