New York, July 27
A vaccine for shingles may help delay getting dementia diagnosis, according to recent research by Nature Medicine, as reported by CBS News. The research found that the latest shingles vaccine appears to delay the onset of the memory-impairing condition.
According to the study published in Nature Medicine on Thursday, the researchers found people who got the vaccine lived, on average, an additional 164 days without a dementia diagnosis compared to those who received the previous shingles vaccines.
The results were exciting, Dr Celine Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, said on "CBS Mornings".
"The fact that we have a vaccine that's already approved, already out there, and covered by insurance, super easy to get. The fact that that is showing this kind of level of protection is really promising for a lot," she said.
As an expert reaction, Dr Sheona Scales, the director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, shared her insight alongside the study.
"Dementia isn't an inevitable part of ageing; it's caused by diseases like Alzheimer's. So finding new ways to reduce people's risk of developing these diseases is vital," Scales said.
But, it isn't clear how the vaccine might be reducing risk, Scales continued, adding, "It will be critical to study this apparent effect further."
The authors also note that further research is needed to understand what exactly creates this association, as reported by CBS News.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already recommend that everyone should get the two-dose shingles vaccine starting at age 50.
"I think the real question before us now is, should we be starting to vaccinate even earlier? Will you need more doses if you start vaccinating vaccinating earlier? We don't have answers to that yet," Gounder said.
Moreover, preventing dementia later in life involves a lot of the same things that experts advise for overall health, reported CBS News.
"You want to control your blood pressure, avoid developing diabetes through good diet and exercise, but if you have diabetes, be sure to manage it well, quit smoking," Gounder said.
She further said that a newer risk factor to be aware of is air pollution caused by wildfire smoke.
"Try to minimize your exposure, get some indoor air filtration units. You might want to be wearing a mask outdoors during those periods," Gounder advised.