JAKARTA - Scientists have found that a single dose of the herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine may not only protect against viral infection, but also help slow biological aging in the elderly.
Researchers from the University of Southern California stated that the vaccine routinely given to the elderly can have benefits beyond preventing herpes zoster.
The findings come from a study of more than 3,800 people which showed those who had been vaccinated showed fewer signs of biological aging and inflammation than those who had not received the shot.
"By helping to reduce this background inflammation, possibly by preventing reactivation of the herpes zoster virus, the vaccine may play a role in supporting healthier aging," said Jung Ki Kim, lead author of the study, quoted from the Independent.co.uk page.
"Although the biological mechanisms certainly still need to be understood, the potential of vaccination in reducing inflammation makes it a promising addition to a broader strategy to increase body resistance and slow down age-related decline," he continued.
These findings also support recent research linking vaccines in adults, such as the herpes zoster or influenza vaccines, with a reduced risk of dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders, according to Kim.
"This study adds to the growing evidence that vaccines can play a role in promoting healthy aging by modulating biological systems beyond just infection prevention," he said.
The shingles vaccine is available through the NHS (UK health service) to all adults aged 65, as well as those aged between 70 and 79.
In this latest study, scientists used data from nearly 4,000 elderly people from the health and retirement study in the United States to examine how the herpes zoster vaccine affects various signs of aging.
They measured seven aspects of biological aging, namely inflammation, defense against infection, adaptive immunity, blood flow, neurodegeneration, epigenetic aging, and transcriptomic aging.
The results showed that those who had been vaccinated had much lower levels of inflammation, slower epigenetic and transcriptomic aging, and better biological aging scores.
"The study notes that inflammation is a factor that has long been known to contribute to various conditions such as heart disease, physical fragility, and cognitive decline, a phenomenon known as 'inflammaging'," explained Kim.
"By helping to reduce this background inflammation, possibly by preventing reactivation of the herpes zoster virus, the vaccine may play a role in supporting healthier aging," he continued.
Although the biological mechanisms are certainly still to be understood, the potential of vaccination in reducing inflammation makes it a promising addition to a broader strategy to improve body resistance and slow down age-related decline.
"These findings suggest that vaccination against herpes zoster affects various key domains associated with the aging process," said Eileen Crimmins, one of the study's authors.
Although further research is still needed to replicate and extend these findings, especially with longitudinal and experimental designs.
"Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that vaccines can play a role in healthy aging strategies, not just in preventing acute disease," said Crimmins.
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