Dr. Celine Gounder joins "CBS Mornings" to explain groundbreaking research on the shingles vaccine and what it could mean for long-term heart health.

The South Korean study has revealed a promising connection between the shingles vaccine and a reduced risk of heart disease. The study, which observed over two million adults for a decade, found that the older version of the vaccine, called Zostavax, contributed to a 23% reduction in cardiovascular events. This vaccine, using live virus technology, was used until 2018.

The newer form of the vaccine, Shingrix, does not contain a live virus and is made from a purified synthetic viral protein. Preliminary data suggests that it could offer even greater cardiovascular protective effects. This new vaccine is advised for all adults from the age of 50, with two doses recommended to ensure maximum effectiveness. 

The implications of this research go beyond heart disease, as similar connections have been identified between chronic infections and diseases such as dementia. Experts suggest that the chronic inflammation caused by infections could be a risk factor for chronic conditions. This study emphasizes the potential of vaccines not only to prevent infections but also to decrease the risk of chronic diseases.

Dr. Celine Gounder, Editor-at-Large for Public Health at KFF Health News, explains the importance of re-evaluating our understanding of the relationship between infections and chronic diseases. She argues that the idea of separating infectious diseases from chronic conditions is misleading and that vaccines like those for shingles could play a significant role in preventing chronic diseases by minimizing inflammation caused by infections.



Shingles vaccine may cut heart disease risk, new study finds

All right, let's begin this hour with some groundbreaking new research on the shingles vaccine. The South Korean study found the vaccine can lower the risk of heart disease by 23% for up to eight years. The vaccine in that study was used in the U.S. until 2018, and other research shows promising results for the new version, which is used now. CBS News Medical Contributor, Dr. Celine Gounder, Editor-at-Large for Public Health at KFF Health News, joins us now to discuss. Good to see you, good morning. Good morning. So, break the study down for us. What did it find? So, they looked at over two million adults in South Korea over a period of about 10 years, and they found that people who got the older shingles vaccine, what we call Zostavax, it's a live virus vaccine, an older technology. In that population, we saw a 23% reduction in their risk of cardiovascular events, which is pretty significant. Wow. So, the study focused on this older vaccine, which, as you say, was used until 2018. The newer vaccine does not contain a live virus, but you're saying it also, you're saying the new research is suggesting it might even be better than the old one. What we're seeing is the newer vaccine, so that one's called Shingrix, which is made of a purified synthetic protein, viral protein, so it's much more pure. You get two doses of that one, starting at age 50. With that one, we are seeing even better vaccine effectiveness, and we are seeing preliminary data showing that it, too, has cardiovascular protective effects. So, I got my shingles vaccine. I saw a commercial on TV and thought, I better get one of those. That's what I did. I booked mine for next week, Gail. I better get one of those. So, what does it mean for people who received the vaccine before 2018? Well, the study we're talking about today is actually with that older vaccine, but I think, big picture, we need to be rethinking the connection between infections and chronic disease. We've had this sort of artificial line between the two, and what we're seeing, based on this data, is that because of the chronic inflammation you can have from an infection, like chickenpox, the kind of herpes virus, and as you may know, once you have a herpes virus, you have it forever. Forever, yes. And if your immune system gets weak, you're getting older, you're stressed, it can come out again. And so, it's causing inflammation over time in your body. When you have a shingles outbreak in particular, you're having a lot of inflammation. That can cause inflammation of your blood vessels, blood clotting, all of which could lead to a heart attack, dementia, these other problems. And so, understanding that these things can be connected, infectious disease, chronic disease, I think is an important message here. Yeah, you mentioned dementia. Another study showed that the same type of shingles vaccine could reduce the risk of dementia. Could this change the way that we think about vaccines? I think it should. So again, we're trying to prevent some of the risk factors that lead to chronic disease, which includes chronic inflammation. Other such infections, chronic infections, hepatitis C, for example, has been known, or HPV, human papillomavirus. These have been known to cause cancer, again, through the chronic inflammation. It's, again, a false dichotomy between infectious disease, chronic disease, and vaccines may be a way of preventing certain chronic diseases. So bottom line, who should get it? For the Shingrix, the newer vaccine in the United States, once you hit age 50, you should be getting two doses of that. And then if you're younger and immunocompromised, you should also be getting two doses. Okay, so all you guys at this table, you have some time. Not me, I'm behind the times. You two guys on this side have some time. 98, Paul, as always. You're over 50, huh? Yes, well, now my mom's gonna yell at me because she doesn't like when people know my, yes, I'm way over 50. Why, why does your mom like that? I'm glad, you're so youthful. Keep being youthful. She liked the mystery. Keep being youthful. Still youthful. I think it's good to tell people, look, this is what it looks like. Yeah, exactly. I never run away from that question. Dr. Gounder, always good to see you here.

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