Shingles Vaccine Linked to 46% Lower Risk of Major Cardiac Events

Most people think of the shingles vaccine as protection against a painful rash. But results of a striking new study that will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in New Orleans suggest its benefits may extend far beyond that, reaching into some of the most serious cardiovascular risks a person can face.

The research analyzed health records from more than 246,000 U.S. adults with atherosclerotic heart disease, a condition caused by plaque buildup in the arteries. It found that those who received the shingles vaccine had dramatically better cardiovascular outcomes in the year that followed compared with those who did not get vaccinated. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that the shingles vaccine may be one of the most underappreciated preventive tools available to adults over 50.

“This vaccine has been found over and over again to have cardioprotective effects for reducing heart attack, stroke and death,” said lead investigator Robert Nguyen, M.D., a resident physician at the University of California, Riverside. “Looking at the highest risk population, those with existing cardiovascular disease, these protective effects might be even greater than among the general public.”

What the Numbers Show

The results were remarkable across every outcome the team measured. Vaccinated individuals with existing heart disease were 46% less likely to suffer any major adverse cardiac event and 66% less likely to die from any cause during the study period. Breaking it down further, they were 32% less likely to suffer a heart attack, 25% less likely to have a stroke and 25% less likely to develop heart failure.

To put those numbers in perspective, the level of risk reduction observed is comparable to what would be expected from quitting smoking — a benchmark that underscores just how meaningful these findings are.

The study compared 123,411 people who had received at least one dose of a shingles vaccine — either Shingrix or Zostavax — with the same number of unvaccinated individuals with similar demographics and health profiles. Researchers tracked outcomes between one month and one year after vaccination.

Why Would a Shingles Vaccine Protect the Heart?

A shingles infection can trigger the formation of dangerous blood clots around the brain and heart, raising the risk of heart attacks, strokes and venous thromboembolism. By preventing the infection itself, the vaccine is thought to also prevent the cascade of inflammation and clotting that makes shingles so dangerous for people with existing cardiovascular disease.

This may be why the protective effects appear even more pronounced in people who already have heart disease than in the general population. Those with atherosclerotic disease are already operating with a narrower margin of cardiovascular safety, making the prevention of any additional inflammatory trigger especially valuable.

What This Means for Patients

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already recommends the shingles vaccine for all adults 50 and older, as well as for younger adults with weakened immune systems. But many eligible patients either delay getting vaccinated or do not fully understand why it matters beyond shingles prevention itself.

This research makes the case that for anyone with existing heart disease, or anyone approaching 50 who wants to protect their long-term cardiovascular health, the shingles vaccine conversation deserves a prominent place in the exam room. Nguyen and his team mentioned a previous 2025 study found the vaccine's cardioprotective effects may last up to eight years, suggesting this is not just a short-term benefit but a sustained form of protection.

As with any observational study, investigators noted that people who seek out vaccines may also tend to have other healthy behaviors, which could partially account for some of the benefit observed. Even accounting for that limitation, however, the size of the study and the consistency of the findings across every cardiovascular outcome measured give researchers high confidence in the association.

“Vaccines are one of the most important medicines we have to prevent disease,” Nguyen said. “Sometimes patients are unsure about whether they should get a vaccine or not, particularly in an age of disinformation. These results provide another reason for them to elect to get the vaccine.”