In addition to helping protect against a painful viral illness, the shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine may help slow biological aging in older adults, according to a new observational study by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Biological age differs from chronological age in that it reflects how well the body’s tissues and organ systems are working.
The findings, published today in TheJournals of Gerontology Series A, draw on data from the nationally representative US Health and Retirement Study and look at multiple markers of biological aging in 3,884 adults aged 70 years and older in 2016.
After accounting for demographic and health differences, those who had received the shingles vaccine exhibited signs of slower biological aging, such as lower levels of inflammation and slower epigenetic aging, than those who had not been vaccinated. Epigenetic changes are changes in how cells behave over time.
The researchers looked at seven different individual markers of biological aging: inflammation, innate and adaptive immunity, immune function, cardiovascular function, neurodegeneration, epigenetic and transcriptomic (genetic expression and regulation) aging, and composite biological aging.
Less inflammation, enhanced immunity
The shingles vaccine was significantly associated with less inflammation, slower epigenetic changes, and a lower overall composite biological aging score. Vaccination was also tied to increased immunity.
The “epigenetic, transcriptomic and overall composite biological aging improvements were most pronounced within three years post-vaccination, with slower aging persisting beyond this window,” write the researchers. “The results support the hypothesis that shingles vaccination may influence key biological systems relevant to aging.”
Chronic, low-grade inflammation is implicated in numerous age-related conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and cognitive decline. “By helping to reduce this background inflammation—possibly by preventing reactivation of the virus that causes shingles—the vaccine may play a role in supporting healthier aging,” said Jung Ki Kim, PhD, research associate professor of gerontology and the study’s first author, in a USC press release.
The results support the hypothesis that shingles vaccination may influence key biological systems relevant to aging.
The study had some limitations. Because the data were cross-sectional, the researchers were unable to draw conclusions about change over time. They also note that the relationship between vaccine responses and inflammation may be bidirectional, meaning that lower baseline inflammation can improve vaccine responses, and that other unmeasured confounders might exist.
Coauthor Eileen Crimmins, PhD, AARP chair in gerontology, emphasized that, while more research is needed, the results are compelling. “Our study adds to a growing body of work suggesting that vaccines may play a role in healthy aging strategies beyond solely preventing acute illness,” she said in the release.
