Is the Live Shingles Vaccine Linked to Lower Heart Disease Risk?
Yes. An observational study of more than a million people aged 50 and older in South Korea found that those who got the live shingles vaccine had a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events than people who were not vaccinated. Their risk of major adverse cardiovascular events was 26% lower, and so was their risk of heart failure. The lower risk lasted up to eight years, with the largest reduction two to three years after vaccination.
These findings were published in the European Heart Journal and reported in The BMJ in 2025. This was an observational study, not a randomized trial, so it shows an association rather than proof of cause. Even so, it suggests the live shingles vaccine may do more than prevent a painful rash. Today’s standard shingles vaccine in the US is the recombinant vaccine, Shingrix, which this study did not test.
What the Data Show
Researchers followed over a million people aged 50 and older in South Korea for a median of six years. They compared those who received the live zoster vaccine with those who did not. The main outcome was any new cardiovascular disease.
Vaccinated people had a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events overall. Their risk was 26% lower for major adverse cardiovascular events, 26% lower for heart failure, 24% lower for stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders, and 22% lower for ischemic heart disease. The lower risk persisted for up to eight years, and it was greatest two to three years after vaccination. The reduction was more pronounced among men, among people under 60, among those with unhealthy lifestyle habits, and among people from low-income households and rural areas.
Dr. Kumar’s Take
This study has two strengths. The first is the size: over a million people is a lot of signal to work with. The second is the pattern of the result. The effect was largest two to three years after vaccination and then faded across the eight years of follow-up, which is the shape you would expect if the vaccine itself were doing something, rather than the shape you would expect from a fixed difference between the kinds of people who seek vaccination and the kinds who do not.
That said, this is observational. People who choose to get vaccinated often take better care of their health in other ways, and no amount of statistical adjustment fully removes that problem. I would also note that the benefit was larger in people with unhealthy lifestyle habits, which cuts against the simplest version of the healthy-volunteer objection. This does not show that the vaccine protects the heart, and the finding applies only to the live vaccine.
How the Live Shingles Vaccine May Protect the Heart
The herpes zoster virus is the same virus that causes chickenpox. After the initial infection it stays dormant in nerve tissue and can reactivate later in life as shingles. A vaccine that prevents reactivation prevents the inflammatory illness that follows it.
That is the most plausible route from the live shingles vaccine to a cardiovascular effect, and the timing in this study fits it: the risk reduction was greatest two to three years after vaccination and diminished over the following years. This study measured outcomes, not mechanism, so the biological pathway remains a hypothesis.
Who Showed the Strongest Heart Association?
This study suggests the cardiovascular association with the live vaccine was more pronounced among men, among people under 60, and among people with unhealthy lifestyle habits. Whether the same pattern holds for Shingrix would take separate studies.
Study Limitations
This was an observational study, meaning researchers did not randomly assign anyone to be vaccinated. People who get vaccinated may live healthier lives in ways the analysis cannot fully capture. The study was conducted in South Korea, so how well the result transfers to other populations and other health systems is an open question. It examined the live zoster vaccine specifically. Today’s standard shingles vaccine in the US is the recombinant vaccine, Shingrix, which this study did not test. The size of the study, over a million people, gives the estimate precision, but precision is not the same thing as freedom from bias.
Practical Takeaways
- This study tested the live shingles vaccine. Today’s standard shingles vaccine in the US is the recombinant vaccine, Shingrix, which this study did not test. The main reason for shingles vaccination is still shingles itself, a painful illness.
- The cardiovascular association with the live vaccine was strongest in men, in people under 60, and in people with unhealthy lifestyle habits.
- The lower risk lasted up to eight years and was largest two to three years after vaccination with the live vaccine.
Related Studies and Research
If you found this article helpful, you may also want to explore these related topics on cardiovascular health:
- Can meditation help prevent heart attacks and strokes?
- Ultra-processed foods linked to 47% higher heart disease risk
- Does rosuvastatin prevent heart disease in healthy people with intermediate risk? A look at the HOPE-3 trial
FAQs
Is the shingles vaccine specifically approved for heart protection?
No. The shingles vaccine is approved to prevent herpes zoster and its complications. The cardiovascular finding here is an observed association with the live vaccine in an observational study, not an approved indication and not proof of cause. Randomized trial evidence would be needed before anyone could make a cardiovascular claim for the vaccine.
Can the shingles vaccine help if I have already had a heart attack?
This study looked at adults aged 50 and older in the general population, not specifically at people who had already had a heart attack. People who got the live vaccine had a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events overall and a 26% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. The reduction was more pronounced among men, among people under 60, and among people with unhealthy lifestyle habits. If you have established heart disease, bring this to your cardiologist and decide together, since your vaccination plan should sit inside your overall prevention plan rather than beside it.
How long do the heart benefits of the shingles vaccine last?
In this study, the protective effect of the live zoster vaccine lasted for up to eight years. The greatest reduction in risk appeared two to three years after vaccination, and the effect diminished over the years that followed.
Bottom Line
An observational study of over a million people aged 50 and older in South Korea found that people who got the live shingles vaccine had a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events and a 26% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. The effect lasted up to eight years, was largest two to three years after vaccination, and was more pronounced in men, in people under 60, and in people with unhealthy lifestyle habits. This is association, not proof, and it applies to the live vaccine. Today’s standard shingles vaccine in the US is the recombinant vaccine, Shingrix, which this study did not test.
