{"id":41472,"date":"2026-04-05T02:19:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T02:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=41472"},"modified":"2026-04-05T02:19:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T02:19:43","slug":"high-dose-shot-can-lower-seniors-risk-of-dementia-by-55","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=41472","title":{"rendered":"High-dose shot can lower seniors\u2019 risk of dementia by 55%"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>This might make you think twice about skipping your annual shot.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.neurology.org\/doi\/10.1212\/WNL.0000000000214782\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new study<\/a> suggests older Americans who get a high-dose version of a common vaccine may face a lower risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s dementia than those who stick with the standard jab.<\/p>\n<p>The protective effect appears strongest in women \u2014 who are about twice as likely as men to develop the memory-robbing disease.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Alzheimer\u2019s disease is the most common form of the dementia in the US.  <span class=\"credit\">Prostock-studio \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The stakes couldn\u2019t be higher. <\/p>\n<p>Across the country, more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alz.org\/getmedia\/ef8f48f9-ad36-48ea-87f9-b74034635c1e\/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">7 million Americans<\/a> are living with Alzheimer\u2019s, a condition that claims more lives each year than breast and prostate cancer combined.<\/p>\n<p>If current trends hold, that number is expected to hit a staggering <a href=\"https:\/\/alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1016\/j.jalz.2017.02.001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">13 million by 2050<\/a>, with a new case emerging every 33 seconds.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Now, scientists say the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/09\/18\/health\/dont-make-these-5-flu-shot-mistakes\/\">influenza vaccine<\/a> might help slow that surge. <\/p>\n<p>While the flu shot is recommended for nearly all Americans each year, since 2022 the CDC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/highrisk\/65over.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has encouraged<\/a> adults 65 and older to get a version about four times stronger than what the general population receives.<\/p>\n<p>The reason is simple: As we age, our immune systems naturally weaken, and <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/cid\/article\/79\/5\/1283\/7734868?guestAccessKey=f0cde4ed-60bc-46ec-9b26-c7aa54357bc1&amp;login=false&amp;utm_source=authortollfreelink&amp;utm_campaign=cid&amp;utm_medium=email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">studies show<\/a> the high-dose shot does a better job protecting older adults from serious flu complications compared with the standard version.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>In the US, 1 in 9 Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer\u2019s disease.  <span class=\"credit\">Rido \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.3233\/JAD-220361\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Earlier research<\/a> from UTHealth Houston found that seniors who got the standard flu shot were already 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer\u2019s over a four-year period compared with those who skipped it.<\/p>\n<p>The high-dose version, however, appears to supercharge that benefit.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>In a study of nearly 200,000 adults age 65 and older, researchers found that the stronger shot cut Alzheimer\u2019s risk by nearly 55% over about two years.<\/p>\n<p>Both men and women saw a drop in risk, but women appeared to get longer-lasting and more consistent benefits, though researchers aren\u2019t sure what drives the difference.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, scientists are trying to figure out exactly how the stronger flu vaccine may help fight Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>One leading theory is that it boosts the immune system while tamping down inflammation in the brain, which is believed to play a key role in the disease\u2019s development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnhanced [flu vaccines] confer greater protection against influenza infection, thereby decreasing risk of severe illness and the associated systemic inflammation that can promote neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration,\u201d the study authors wrote. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The flu vaccine may protect against inflammation thought to drive Alzheimer\u2019s disease progression.  <span class=\"credit\">Leigh Prather \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The research did have some limitations. <\/p>\n<p>One possible factor is healthy-user bias. The scientists noted that people who get a high-dose flu shot may also be more proactive about their health in ways that could lower their dementia risk.<\/p>\n<p>There were other gaps too, including missing information on mortality and socioeconomic factors.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the findings align with a growing body of research that suggests certain vaccines may help protect the brain. <\/p>\n<p>For example, recent studies suggest the shingles vaccine may not only <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/04\/02\/health\/this-vaccine-lowered-seniors-dementia-risk-by-20\/\">lower the risk of dementia<\/a> but also slow cognitive decline in people who <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/12\/03\/health\/this-shot-can-slow-progression-of-dementia-if-you-have-it-study\/\">already have it<\/a>. Similar benefits have been seen with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41541-025-01172-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RSV<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/jgs.17606\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tdap<\/a> vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>The new flu shot findings come as vaccination rates continue to lag compared with pre-Covid levels.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, just 67.1% of Americans 65 and older got some form of the jab, down from 70.5% in 2019, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db547.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CDC data<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/04\/health\/high-dose-shot-can-lower-seniors-risk-of-dementia-by-55\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This might make you think twice about skipping your annual shot. A new study suggests older Americans who get a high-dose version of a common vaccine&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}