Study suggests shingles shot may help prevent heart attack and stroke

• Research suggests that the shingles vaccine is linked to a significantly lower risk of major cardiovascular events in people with existing heart disease.
• Vaccinated individuals had reduced risks across multiple outcomes, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and death within 1 year.
• The protective effect may be due to the vaccine preventing inflammation and dangerous blood clots that result from the shingles infection.
• While promising, the findings come from an observational study. Therefore, more research is necessary to confirm a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

In 2017, Shingrix received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and quickly became the preferred vaccine, with public health bodies thereafter recommending it over Zostavax.

Researchers estimate that one in three people will develop shingles, with risk increasing with age. For this reason, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults ages 50 and over receive 2 doses of the shingles vaccine.

Previous research suggests that the shingles vaccine may offer additional health benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular events.

The findings suggest that adults with heart disease who received a shingles vaccine experience markedly fewer heart-related complications within a year than those who were not vaccinated.

The researchers analyzed health records from more than 246,000 adults in the United States with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a condition that results from plaque buildup in the arteries.

Roughly half of the participants had received at least 1 dose of either the Shingrix or Zostavax shingles vaccine, while the other half had not. The two groups were matched for demographics and health conditions to ensure a fair comparison.

After examining for cardiac events occurring between one month and one year after shingles vaccination, or the same time period for unvaccinated individuals, the researchers found that vaccination was linked with a lower risk across all outcomes studied.

Notably, the vaccine was associated with:

• 46% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events
• 27% lower risk of heart attack
• 27% lower risk of stroke
• 33% lower risk of heart failure
• 61% lower risk of death from any cause.

The researchers add that these reductions are substantial and comparable to the benefits expected from quitting smoking. They add that this supports recommendations for all adults over 50 to receive the shingles vaccine.

Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, spoke to Medical News Today about how clinically meaningful these results could be.

“A vaccine that results in a 46% lower risk of a major adverse cardiac event — and a 61% lower risk of death from any cause — is an incredibly significant and meaningful intervention that can help us lower the tremendous burden of cardiovascular disease in our society,” Chen commented.

Previous research has suggested that shingles may increase the risk of experiencing future cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack or stroke, by nearly 30%.

By preventing shingles, the vaccine likely reduces these potential cardiovascular risks.

Previous studies have suggested similar benefits. For example, a 2025 study indicated that the shingles vaccine may help lower the risk for cardiovascular events in the general population by 23%. Additionally, the protective effects may last up to 8 years.

These new findings provide additional support for these recommendations, especially for individuals with existing cardiovascular disease.

Chen added: “We already recommend that all adults 50 and older receive the Shingles vaccine. This study further supports this recommendation, especially in patients with established cardiovascular disease.”

While the vaccine is suitable for most people, it is not advisable to receive it if a person is allergic to any component, has an active shingles infection, or is currently pregnant.

While the results are promising, it is important to consider the limitations of the study. For example, as it uses observational data, it cannot directly prove cause and effect for the vaccine providing these benefits.

Additionally, it only tracked outcomes for up to 1 year after vaccination, so longer studies will be necessary. Also, it is hard to determine the potential impact of other behaviors that may contribute to the reduced risk of cardiovascular events.

Even so, the researchers highlight that using a large dataset and statistical methods to account for many confounding factors strengthens the confidence in these findings.

This study adds to growing evidence that the shingles vaccine may offer broader health benefits beyond its primary purpose. These results offer another compelling reason for eligible adults to consider vaccination.