I wonder how often my insurance will pay for a booster.
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adssx
#3
Itās from last year, nothing new? If itās the study I have in mind, I read many people criticizing it back then, so has it been definitely peer reviewed and published or is it still only available as a preprint after more than 1y?
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Interesting that itās been out as a pre-print since May 25, 2023
Itās basically a population study. Not sure why it hasnāt been peer reviewed.
If there are criticisms of the interpretation of this public data, it would be interesting to read that.
adssx
#5
Ben Recht was skeptical: x.com
Peer review takes time, so it might be normal, I donāt know. But the author also hasnāt posted for months on X/Twitter since the preprint: x.com
However, he published another preprint last month replicating the Welsh study with Australian data, and also finding potential (small) protection: Herpes zoster vaccination and new diagnoses of dementia: A quasi-randomized study in Australia 2024
Eligibility for HZ vaccination (i.e., being born shortly before versus shortly after November 2 1936) decreased the probability of receiving a new dementia diagnosis over 7.4 years by 2.0 percentage points (95% CI: [0.3 ā 3.7], p = 0.021).
And Eric Topol also tweeted a similar finding yesterday but weirdly the article has since been deleted from Nature!
5 Likes
KarlT
#6
Iām confused by what Iām reading here. Did they compare vaccinated to unvaccinated people, or did they compare groups of people receiving different vaccines?
It appears to be unvaxxed vs vaxxed
Our study focuses on the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine (Zostavax; henceforth simply referred to as āzoster vaccineā) because the newer recombinant subunit zoster vaccine (Shingrix) became available in the UK only after our follow-up period ended
A full read of the study is pretty interesting 
2 Likes
It does indicate the effect does wear off and they recommend a booster. They also note that the newer recombinant vaccine has a longer term effectiveness, at least as a shingles vaxx, Not sure if that translates to increased duration in preventing the various dementia listed but it should. If the virus is a contributor, which from this study is a yes.
They also mention there is a benefit even for people at 70. We got ours at 65, a free program here in the Great White North.
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KarlT
#9
This seems to indicate they compared vaccines but I couldnāt find that in the paper
That quote was from an article, not from the study. I and many others passed along bad info.
After reading more, the study was based on the live versions as the recombinant was introduced later and the results fell outside the follow-up time frame. They do note the benefits of the recombinant version should be longer lasting.
This error in the āreportingā on the study may be one reason there is confusion and deleted posts by other people.
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Thanks for the info. I think Iāll opt for the shingles.
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adssx
#12
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Covered in New Scientist:
Evidence mounts that shingles vaccines protect against dementia
Being immunised against shingles has been linked to a reduced dementia risk before and now a study suggests that the newer vaccine wards off the condition more effectively than an older one
The latest shingles vaccine may delay or possibly even prevent the onset of dementia more effectively than an older version.
Being vaccinated against shingles has been linked to dementia protection before. Now, it seems that a vaccine called Shingrix, which has been available since 2017, reduces the risk of developing the condition in the next six years by 17 per cent more than an older vaccine called Zostavax.
ā¦
Richard Lathe at the University of Edinburgh in the UK points out that multiple kinds of vaccines are associated with reduced dementia rates. For example, the Bacillus Calmette-GuƩrin (BCG) vaccine, which protects against tuberculosis and can be used to treat bladder cancer, has been linked to a 45 per cent reduced dementia risk.
The results could therefore be due to vaccines giving the body a general immune boost rather than protection from shingles specifically reducing our dementia risk, says Lathe.
Read the full story: Evidence mounts that shingles vaccines protect against dementia (New Scientist)
Nature Medicine DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03201-5
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KarlT
#14
Youāre not saying youād prefer getting shingles over getting the vaccine?
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KarlT
#15
Is anyone finding evidence that it āpreventsā dementia? Iām only reading that it delays onset.
adssx
#16
For a neurodegenerative disease that anyone will get at some point or another (if they live long enough), most academics use āpreventā to mean ādelay onsetā. It makes sense theoretically: if the vaccine delays the onset by an average of say 2 years and if you get vaccinated every year then you might be able to delay the onset forever, so to prevent the disease. Unfortunately researchers rarely quantify what that delay is in practice.
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kbaba
#17
Added benefit, I can attest that Shingles hurts A LOT itās right in the nerves themselves
And possible for it to affect places of varying levels of tortuous zones
Worth avoiding
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Shingles of the eye can cause blindness. Itās very serious. The newer vaccine is recommended for older persons and those who have had shingles. Itās that connection between the eye and brain that gives this ocular form of shingles most concern for dementia risk. Peter Attia discusses dementia and the shingles vaccine in a Nov 2024 weekly newsletter and he too is reserved and cautious about the shingles vaccine and dementia prevention.
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adssx
#20
Two (or 3?) papers looked at the date of introduction of the vaccine, in two countries, and found a reduced risk before / after with this natural experiment. So if these papers are correct then the healthy user hypothesis could be discarded. That being said I agree with his conclusion: we donāt know yet and letās follow the guidelines for now: everyone above 50 should get the shingles vaccine. Neuroprotection might come as a perk or not. The question remains for people below 50.
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