Apart from its prime benefit in protecting against a painful viral illness, the shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine may help slow biological ageing in older adults, according to a recent observational study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, reports CIDRAP News.
Biological age differs from chronological age in that it reflects how well the body’s tissues and organ systems are working.
The findings, published in The Journals of Gerontology Series A, draw on data from the nationally representative US Health and Retirement Study and look at multiple markers of biological ageing in 3 884 adults aged 70 and older in 2016.
After accounting for demographic and health differences, those who had received the shingles vaccine exhibited signs of slower biological ageing, such as lower levels of inflammation and slower epigenetic ageing, than those who had not been vaccinated.
Epigenetic changes are changes in how cells behave over time.
The researchers looked at seven different individual markers of biological ageing: inflammation, innate and adaptive immunity, immune function, cardiovascular function, neurodegeneration, epigenetic and transcriptomic (genetic expression and regulation) ageing, and composite biological aging.
Less inflammation, enhanced immunity
The shingles vaccine was significantly associated with less inflammation, slower epigenetic changes, and a lower overall composite biological ageing score.
Vaccination was also tied to increased immunity.
The “epigenetic, transcriptomic and overall composite biological ageing improvements were most pronounced within three years post-vaccination, with slower aging persisting beyond this window”, write the researchers.
“The results support the hypothesis that shingles vaccination may influence key biological systems relevant to ageing.”
Chronic, low-grade inflammation is implicated in numerous age-related conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and cognitive decline.
“By helping to reduce this background inflammation – possibly by preventing reactivation of the virus that causes shingles – the vaccine may play a role in supporting healthier ageing,” said Jung Ki Kim, PhD, Research Associate Professor of Gerontology and the study’s first author.
The study had some limitations. Because the data were cross-sectional, the researchers were unable to draw conclusions about change over time. They also note that the relationship between vaccine responses and inflammation may be bidirectional, meaning that lower baseline inflammation can improve vaccine responses, and that other unmeasured confounders might exist.
Co-author Eileen Crimmins, PhD, AARP chair in Gerontology, emphasised that, while more research is needed, the results are compelling.
“Our study adds to a growing body of work suggesting that vaccines may play a role in healthy ageing strategies beyond solely preventing acute illness,” she said.
Study details
Association between shingles vaccination and slower biological ageing: Evidence from a US population-based cohort study Open Access
Jung Ki Kim, Eileen M Crimmins.
Published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A on 20 January 2026
Abstract
There is growing interest in whether adult vaccines such as shingles vaccine may slow biological ageing beyond preventing acute infections. Using data from the nationally representative US Health and Retirement Study, we examined whether shingles vaccination is associated with more favourable profiles across seven biological ageing domains: inflammation, innate and adaptive immunity, cardiovascular haemodynamics, neurodegeneration, and epigenetic and transcriptomic ageing, as well as a composite biological ageing score. Analyses included adults aged 70+ in 2016 (n = 3,884), with biological measures drawn from venous blood, flow cytometry, and physical assessments. Weighted linear regressions adjusted for sociodemographic, and health covariates. Shingles vaccination was significantly associated with lower inflammation scores (b=–0.14, p = 0.0027), slower epigenetic (b=–0.17, p = 0.0001) and transcriptomic ageing (b=–0.19, p < .0001), and a lower composite biological ageing score (b=–0.18, p = 0.0002), suggesting potential benefits for systemic inflammation, molecular and overall biological ageing. In contrast, vaccination was linked to higher adaptive immunity scores (b = 0.09, p = 0.0133), an unexpected finding warranting further investigation. Timing analyses indicated that epigenetic, transcriptomic and overall composite biological aging improvements were most pronounced within three years post-vaccination, with slower ageing persisting beyond this window. The results support the hypothesis that shingles vaccination may influence key biological systems relevant to aging, though effects appear domain-specific and vary over time. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these patterns and explore implications for long-term health. This study adds to emerging evidence that vaccines could play a role in strategies to promote healthy ageing by modulating biological systems beyond infection prevention.
CIDRAP article – Shingles vaccine may slow biological aging in older adults (Open access)
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