A new Ontario-based study is suggesting the shingles vaccine may help prevent and/or delay the onset of dementia more effectively than any existing treatment.
The study was published in Lancet Neurology and led by researchers at McMaster University and Stanford University. It analyzed health data from more than 250,000 seniors in Ontario and found the herpes zoster vaccination, also known as the shingles vaccine, helped significantly prevent dementia.
“There’s no pharmacological tool that has been shown to have such a large preventative effect,” Pascal Geldsetzer, lead researcher and Stanford University professor, told CTV News Toronto.
Paper: Herpes zoster vaccination and incident dementia in Canada: an analysis of natural experiments
But yes, it’s quite tragic, but hopefully the rest of the world picks up the baton and keeps moving forward. I don’t like China whatsoever, but there are a lot of smart and well-intentioned people there, and Europe/UK has strong science too, but generally weaker commercialisation. Now is a great opportunity for the rest of the world to out-compete America and seize leadership.
I’m most worried about the defunding of mRNA and not reviewing new bird flu vaccines. In the world of advanced AI everyone will have access to their own gain-of-function labs. There are few vaccine technologies that can adapt quickly.
Hell’s going to break loose without rapid biodefense. And right after if a first pathogen hits, there’s going to be a new one.
This is so sad. We have the technology and the infrastructure and active work on ways to reduce suffering and improve health for millions, but the progress is being hindered for irrelevant and unscientific reasons.
“As we get older, our immune system becomes less efficient and more prone to chronic inflammation. Vaccines can help keep the immune system “fit” by preparing it to recognize germs and to bounce back faster after infections. Some vaccines do more than protect against a single disease: they can also improve general immune responses (sometimes called “trained immunity”). In older adults, vaccines against flu, RSV, pneumococcus, COVID-19 and shingles lower the chances of serious illness, hospitalization and even heart problems linked to infections. New vaccine technologies (like mRNA and advanced adjuvants) and personalized schedules may improve protection further. Making vaccination a routine part of healthy aging — together with good nutrition, exercise, sleep and managing chronic conditions – can meaningfully improve health and quality of life.”
Shingles Vaccination Correlates with Much Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Events
People with heart disease who received a shingles vaccine had nearly half the rate of serious cardiac events a year later compared with those who did not get the vaccine, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).
The study analyzed over 246,822 U.S. adults with atherosclerotic heart disease, a condition caused by plaque buildup in arteries. Its findings add to mounting evidence that the shingles vaccine not only protects against shingles, but may also reduce the risk of other health issues such as heart problems and dementia.
“This vaccine has been found over and over again to have cardioprotective effects for reducing heart attack, stroke and death,” said Robert Nguyen, MD, a resident physician at the University of California, Riverside and the study’s lead author. “Looking at the highest risk population, those with existing cardiovascular disease, these protective effects might be even greater than among the general public.”
The problem with BCG vaccine is that it’s impossible to get it in the States. No U.S. pharmacy stocks BCG as a TB vaccine. No U.S. distributor sells it for TB prevention. No U.S. clinic routinely administers it. It is not FDA‑approved for TB vaccination in the U.S.
