A study published in Nature found that older adults who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over a seven-year period. The study analyzed electronic health records for over 280,000 elderly individuals in Wales and found that the vaccine's protective effect was more pronounced in women. The cause of the link between the vaccine and reduced dementia risk remains unclear, but the study strengthens the hypothesis that vaccination against herpes zoster may offer benefits beyond preventing shingles.