Could the shingles vaccine lower dementia risk?

In Wales, people born on or after 2 September 1933 could get the shingles vaccine – but people born just a day earlier couldn't.

That cutoff created a rare natural experiment: two groups almost identical in age, but with different vaccination rates.

Remarkably, people who got the vaccine were 20% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the next 7 years. The effect was stronger in women.

Researchers aren’t sure why yet, but have some ideas. Check out the study for yourself!