Shingles Vax Reduces Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke, and Alzheimer’s!

The anti-vaccine movement has been gaining momentum, but there is growing evidence that the shingles vax offers benefit far beyond protection against shingles. Several studies have demonstrated that the shingles vaccine can reduce the risk for dementia. A new study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases (Aug. 9, 2025) reports that the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine, SHINGRIX, can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and herpes zoster ophthalmicus, a potentially vision-robbing eye infection.

What Causes Heart Attacks and Strokes?

Ask health care providers what causes most heart attacks and strokes, and you will be told that these are “ischemic” vascular conditions. In other words, clogged arteries reduce blood flow to the heart and the brain.

If the plaque that clogs arteries cracks or ruptures, nasty goo pours into the artery causing a blood clot that starves the heart or the brain of oxygen. Heart and/or brain tissue quickly begin to die. That leads to the devastating complications associated with either heart attacks or strokes.

For many decades, doctors assumed that cholesterol is the bad actor that causes clogging of arteries and most of our vascular problems. Many health professionals believe that if we just reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol low enough, we could prevent most heart attacks and strokes. But there are some inconvenient statistics.

Why Haven’t Statins Eliminated Heart Attacks and Strokes?

The first statin, Mevacor (lovastatin) was approved by the FDA on September 7, 1987. That was 38 years ago. It was good at lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Lovastatin has been joined by many other statins including atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin and pravastatin. At last count, nearly 50 million Americans are taking such drugs.

These drugs really do lower LDL cholesterol extremely well. Why, then, is heart disease still our # 1 killer after almost 40 years? We have attempted to answer that question in this article:

“If Statins Save Lives, Why Is Heart Disease Still #1 Killer?“
Heart disease remains our # 1 killer, even after decades of statin therapy. Why don’t statins save lives when it comes to primary prevention?

What Else Causes Heart Attacks and Strokes?

It will likely come as a shock for many people to learn that there are many things that can trigger a heart attack or a stroke beyond LDL cholesterol. For one thing, there is Lp(a). You can read all about this “risk factor” at this link:

“Is Lp(a) the Best Kept Secret in Heart Disease?”
Doctors rarely test for Lp(a), but 1 out of 5 people have high levels. Statins raise Lp(a) but a low-carb diet lowers this key risk factor.

We talked with the lead author of an intriguing article (European Heart Journal (Jan. 1, 2020):

“Statins and Increases in Lp(a): An Inconvenient Truth That Needs Attention” 

You can listen to this radio show/podcast at this link:

Infections, Heart Attacks and Strokes:

There are a surprising number of other factors that increase the risk for heart attacks and strokes. We have listed many of them in our eGuide to Cholesterol Control & Heart Health. One that is rarely mentioned by either cardiologists or neurologists, though, is herpes zoster, the virus that causes shingles.

People who caught chickenpox as children harbor the varicella-zoster virus near the spinal cord and brain. This herpes virus hibernates for decades and can reemerge as people age. When it does, the virus can cause painful skin lesions called shingles.

Herpes zoster (HZ) is also linked to vascular disease.  There are a substantial number of references linking this viral infection to heart attacks and strokes.

“Herpes Zoster As A Risk Factor for Stroke and TIA” in Neurology, Jan. 21, 2014.

The authors conclude:

“This retrospective cohort study is the largest to examine HZ [herpes zoster] as a risk factor for stroke, TIA, [transient ischemic attack] and MI [heart attack]. The study identifies HZ as an independent risk factor for TIA and MI occurring up to 24 years after the acute episode in UK adults older than 18 years and for stroke in those aged 18 to 40 years.”

The authors cite many other studies linking infection with this virus to heart attacks and strokes. They note that that:

“Vascular events occurring within days of HZ could be due to the associated inflammatory response, as has been described for stroke and MI after acute respiratory or urinary tract infections.”

In other words, infections may trigger “vascular events” as a result of an inflammatory reaction. That the risk could persist for months or years in the case of a chickenpox infection is harder to explain. These investigators speculate that reactivation of the herpes zoster virus could cause inflammation, damage the lining of arteries in the heart and/or brain and trigger heart attacks and strokes.

There are many other studies linking the herpes zoster virus to heart attacks and strokes:

• Journal of the American College of Cardiology, July 11, 2017
• PLoS One, July 27, 2017
• Journal of Clinical Medicine, April 22, 2019

It’s not just herpes zoster. A systematic review and meta-analysis of respiratory infections and heart attacks and strokes reveals that many other infections may also trigger these vascular events (Cardiovascular Research, Aug. 14, 2025). Even urinary tract infections may precipitate heart attacks and strokes (BMJ Open, June 30, 2025).

The authors conclude:

“In this SCCS [self-controlled case series], we found that microbiologically confirmed UTIs [urinary tract infections] were associated with an increased risk of MI [heart attack] and stroke. The risk of MI was highest in the first 7 days after UTI, with a further period of increased risk 15–28 days after UTI. The risk of stroke was also highest in the first 7 days after UTI and was raised 29–90 days after UTI.”

Summing up:

Many healthcare professionals believe that cholesterol is the prime player in heart attacks and strokes. That is why statins are the most prescribed drugs in America. But there is a growing body of research that also points the finger at infections as a contributing factor. Those include infections of the respiratory and urinary tract. We have known for decades that periodontitis (gum infection) can also increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (Periodontology, Nov. 23, 2023).

Could preventing or treating common infections reduce the risk for heart attacks and strokes? A study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases (Aug. 9, 2025), suggests that a vaccination against shingles could indeed reduce the risk for such cardiovascular events.

Shingles Vax vs. Heart Attacks and Strokes?

There is some convincing research to suggest that a shingles vax could reduce the risk for dementia. You can listen to an interview we conducted with a key investigator of this work at this link.

“Show 1394: Viruses, Vaccines and Alzheimer Disease“
Increasing evidence links viral infection to a higher risk for dementia. Listen for good news about vaccines and Alzheimer disease.

Fast forward to August, 2025: The Shingles Vax vs. Cardiovascular Catastrophes:

The researchers analyzed data from patients enrolled at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC). The scientists compared over 102,766 patients who were vaccinated with recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV, also known as Shingrix) to 411,064 unvaccinated adults.

The median age was 68 years old. The average follow-up was two and a half years.

The investigators concluded that 2 doses of Shingrix vaccine

“…were effective in preventing herpes zoster ophthalmicus in adults over 50 and were associated with significantly reduced risk of hospitalized acute myocardial infarction [heart attack] and stroke compared to unvaccinated individuals.”

These data suggest that health benefits of the shingles vaccine may extend beyond preventing shingles and postherpetic neuralgia.

Cardiologists, Neurologists and the Shingles Vax?

Specialists live in silos. What I mean by that is that they tend to read medical journals that relate to their particular field. They hang out with similar specialists. They go to annual meetings in their area of expertise. And the guidelines that are issued in their sphere of influence relate to the group-think of that specialty.

When something comes in from left field or another specialty, it may be ignored for years or decades. Neurologists have focused on amyloid plaque as the cause of Alzheimer disease (AD). Billions have been spent developing drugs to eradicate amyloid from the brains of AD patients.

You can listen to our interview with Dr. Dale Bredesen to learn why this approach has been so disappointing.

“Show 1412: Beyond Amyloid: The Science That Could Change the Course of Alzheimer Disease“
A personalized approach considering multiple factors may be helpful for changing the course of Alzheimer disease.

The Shingles Vax and Protection Against Dementia:

We had the opportunity to interview the lead author on some fascinating research demonstrating that the shingles vaccine appears to offer protection against dementia. You can listen to Pascal Geldsetzer, MD, discuss his innovative investigation at this link. Here is a link to his most recent publication (JAMA, June 17, 2025).

Final Words on the Shingles Vax vs. Heart Attacks, Strokes and Dementia:

If you had devoted your career to lowering LDL cholesterol to prevent heart attacks and strokes, you might be a bit reluctant to consider the possibility that infections could also be a culprit. You might not be very interested in research regarding vaccinations against cardiovascular disease.

Drug companies have made billions of dollars on the cholesterol connection. They are poised to make billions more on the Lp(a) link to heart disease. There are a number of Lp(a)-lowering medications in clinical trials as I write this. They will likely be quite pricey.

Infectious diseases remain challenging. There is no cure for the common cold. Many other respiratory infections are not easily treated. Just ask someone who has come down with COVID for the third or fourth time.

Vaccines can be helpful, but many are far from perfect. We have tracked influenza vaccines for many years. They are generally about 40% effective. That means about 60% of the time they don’t work very well. You can read more about those stats at this link.

The Shingles vax (Shingrix) does seem to be quite effective, though. According to the CDC, this vaccine is about 97% effective in people 50 to 69 and roughly 91% effective in those over 70. You can read my take on this shingles vax at this link. Despite this interesting research, the drug company is not likely to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to find whether this vaccine can reduce the risk for dementia, heart attacks or strokes.

We hope that cardiologists and neurologists will start investigating the connection between infectious diseases and heart attacks, strokes and dementia. It’s time for specialists to get out of their silos and spend more time communicating with other researchers who may have a different but beneficial perspective on hard-t0-treat conditions.

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