Certain Vaccines Associated With Lower Alzheimer's Risk, Study Finds

Getting vaccinated against various diseases can sometimes mean life or death, especially in old age. Sometimes, certain inoculations can have other effects on one's physical health, whether positive or negative. A new study out of Texas found that some can even affect our brains as we age, thereby lowering the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.  

The research, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, found that adults who receive vaccines for diseases like shingles, pneumococcus (pneumonia), tetanus, and diphtheria seem to be less likely to develop Alzheimer's years later. 

“This data revealed that several additional adult vaccines were also associated with a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s,” study senior author Dr. Paul Schulz said in a statement. "We and others hypothesize that the immune system is responsible for causing brain cell dysfunction in Alzheimer’s. The findings suggest to us that vaccination is having a more general effect on the immune system that is reducing the risk for developing Alzheimer’s."

The team discovered that shingles vaccination was associated with a 25-percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. With the pneumococcal vaccine, it was a 27-percent lower risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease. 

Related: Map Shows U.S. States, Counties Where Alzheimer's Is Most Common

Still, the study authors noted that the connection between the two isn't strictly reliant on the immunizations, possibly implying correlation but not causation. 

"We hypothesize that the reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease associated with vaccines is likely due to a combination of mechanisms,” co-author Dr. Avram Bukhbinder said.

"Vaccines may change how the immune system responds to the buildup of toxic proteins that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, such as by enhancing the efficiency of immune cells at clearing the toxic proteins or by 'honing' the immune response to these proteins so that 'collateral damage' to nearby healthy brain cells is decreased," he continued. "Of course, these vaccines protect against infections like shingles, which can contribute to neuroinflammation."

It might be worth looking into if you're due for a Tdap shot any time soon.