When it comes to preventing heart attacks and strokes, most people focus on eating well, staying active, and avoiding smoking. While these are the right strategies for preventing heart diseases, new research points to an unexpected source of protection: a routine vaccine typically given to older adults to guard against a common viral infection.
Scientists have now found that the vaccine taken for protection against shingles infection may offer long-lasting benefits for heart health, guarding against cardiovascular diseases for as long as eight years.
Shingles causes painful skin rash and severe complications, particularly in older adults and individuals with weakened immune systems. Around 30% of people may get this infection if not vaccinated.
Although known for its painful rash, earlier studies have also linked shingles infection to a higher risk of serious heart problems. This connection sparked researchers to explore if getting vaccinated could reduce the risk.
According to new findings published in the European Heart Journal, the shingles vaccine may cut the overall risk of major cardiovascular events by 23%, including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease. When individual protective effects were calculated, the vaccine was found to reduce the risk of heart failure by 26%, coronary heart disease by 22%, and strokes and heart attacks by 26%.
Even more striking reveal was that the vaccine’s protective effect was especially strong among men, adults under 60, and those with unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking, heavy drinking, or physical inactivity.
The protective effect was strongest in the two to three years after taking the shingles vaccine, but researchers found that the protection lasted for up to eight years.
The findings were based on extensive data from over 1 million people in South Korea, tracking them from 2012 onwards. Researchers analyzed their vaccination status alongside cardiovascular health data, as well as other influencing factors like age, sex, wealth, and lifestyle.
“Our study suggests that the shingles vaccine may help lower the risk of heart disease, even in people without known risk factors. This means that vaccination could offer health benefits beyond preventing shingles,” Professor Dong Keon Yon who led the study said in a news release.
Several factors may explain why the shingles vaccine could help lower the risk of heart disease. Shingles infections are linked to blood vessel damage, inflammation, and clot formation, all of which can contribute to heart disease. By preventing shingles, the vaccine may help mitigate these risks.
The stronger benefits observed in younger individuals may likely be due to a more vigorous immune response while the greater protection in men may be attributed to differences in how the vaccine affects them.
