Understanding Alzheimer’s Risk: Causes, Prevention, and the Promise of Hyperbaric Oxygen

Last Updated July 8, 2025

We all experience occasional memory lapses, especially as we age. For most of us, these minor cognitive issues are usually just annoyances. But if your cognitive issues interfere with your daily life, they could be the beginning of something much more serious. 

Read on to learn more about the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and how you can preserve your cognitive health.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that impacts a person’s ability to think, reason, and remember. As it progresses, Alzheimer’s can severely affect quality of life, eventually becoming completely debilitating. 

The most common type of Alzheimer’s disease is the late-onset form, when symptoms usually “become apparent in [a person’s] mid-60s or later.”

10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease:

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, ten early warning signs of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease include:

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks
4. Confusion with time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8. Decreased or poor judgment
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
10. Changes in mood and personality

If you experience a cognitive problem that impacts your daily life, don’t ignore it. Dementia is not a normal part of the aging process. The sooner you seek help, the sooner you can take action against cognitive decline.

Get in touch with our care team>>

What Are the Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Science is still learning how Alzheimer’s disease develops and why some people are at greater risk of developing it than others. It’s an active area of study, and researchers are making new discoveries every day. 

The consensus among scientists is that a combination of age, sex, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors all contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the greatest risk factors for Alzheimer’s: 

• Although old age does not directly cause Alzheimer’s disease, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s “doubles about every 5 years” after age 65.
• More women than men develop Alzheimer’s disease, although this may be because women live longer than men on average. 
• Suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can increase the long-term risk of developing Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia.
• Acute and chronic inflammation are both associated with an increase in cognitive decline. Eating a diet full of inflammatory foods like processed sugar may exacerbate the risk of developing inflammation in the brain.
• Exposure to environmental pollutants has been linked to an increased risk of dementia. Some researchers believe that nearly half of the individual differences in Alzheimer’s risk may be because of environmental factors.
• Being a smoker carries a significantly increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This risk factor offers another compelling reason to quit.
• People with Down syndrome also have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. About 30% of people with Down syndrome develop Alzheimer’s disease by their 50s. The risk reaches closer to 50% in their 60s.

The Role of Brain Proteins in Alzheimer’s: Amyloid Plaques and Tau Tangles

Scientists typically focus on two different protein structures in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease: Neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques. 

It’s not currently known whether the presence of these structures causes Alzheimer’s disease or if they’re simply byproducts of it. But both can impair cognitive function and can worsen as the disease progresses.

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Are You At Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease?

Learn how a simple blood test available at Aviv Clinics may be able to answer this question: pTau Testing

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Neurofibrillary Tangles 

Neurofibrillary tangles are accumulations of a harmful protein called tau in the brain’s neurons. These tangles can inhibit the neurons’ ability to communicate, causing cognitive decline. Some studies reveal that a lack of oxygen to the brain is associated with neurofibrillary tangles.

Amyloid Plaques

Amyloid plaques are hard, insoluble clumps of beta-amyloid proteins that build up between neurons. Like neurofibrillary tangles, these plaques are toxic to brain cells and disrupt cell-to-cell communication. They can eventually result in cellular death, harming cognitive abilities even further.

Brain scans can reveal the presence of both protein structures, so your doctor can alert you to the presence of Alzheimer’s disease or if you’re at risk for developing it.

Is Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic?

Both early-onset and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease have a genetic component, meaning if you have a family history of Alzheimer’s, you carry a greater risk for developing the disease. The risk factor is greater if an immediate family member suffers from the disease, such as a parent or sibling. 

Genetics are almost always the primary contributing factor of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, which can affect people as young as their 30s or 40s.

Gene Mutations

Researchers have yet to identify any specific genes directly responsible for the development of late-onset Alzheimer’s. However, certain mutations of the APOE gene, which are found in chromosome 19, are currently considered the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

For example, the specific gene mutation APOE ε4 is linked to higher levels of amyloid plaques and is often found in people with Alzheimer’s disease. 

Your doctor may order genetic testing if you have a family history of cognitive problems or early-onset dementia. 

Remember, this doesn’t mean you’re destined to develop Alzheimer’s if a parent or sibling has had it. Some people who possess the APOE ε4 gene never develop Alzheimer’s disease, and some people with Alzheimer’s don’t have any gene mutations at all. 

Genetics is just one of many Alzheimer’s risk factors. We still need more research to develop a complete picture of what the largest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is.

Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?

A specific hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) protocol shows promise as a potential preventative measure for Alzheimer’s disease. HBOT is a treatment that involves breathing 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber to increase oxygen levels in the body and brain. A unique HBOT protocol used at Aviv Clinics has shown several benefits in individuals at risk for or experiencing early cognitive decline:

Benefits of HBOT for Alzheimer’s Disease:

• Improves brain tissue oxygenation
• Lowers neuroinflammation (inflammation in the brain)
• Shrinks beta-amyloid plaques (in laboratory animals)
• Reduces pTau protein levels (in laboratory animals)
• Improves memory recall and cognitive performance
• May slow or reverse early signs of cognitive decline

These benefits have been documented in peer-reviewed studies. This specialized HBOT protocol is available exclusively at Aviv Clinics in Central Florida.

In one study, repeated HBOT sessions showed reduced brain hypoxia, reduced amyloid plaques and pTau, and improvements in cognitive performance. Another study found improvements in memory recall in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a potential early stage of Alzheimer’s. Researchers concluded that HBOT “should be considered as a therapeutic approach to slow the progression or even improve the pathophysiology responsible for [Alzheimer’s] disease.”

Lifestyle Habits That May Lower Your Alzheimer’s Risk

While none of us can change our genetic makeup, we can change our lifestyle. Healthy habits can help lower your risk factor for nearly any disease, not just cognitive conditions. Lowering inflammation levels in your body can also help lower inflammation in the brain. To help preserve your cognitive health:

• Eating a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables
• Exercising regularly
• Maintaining healthy blood pressure
• Keeping your mind active
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Practicing mindfulness and meditation
• Avoiding excess alcohol
• Avoiding smoking
• Getting plenty of restful sleep
• Taking care of your mental health

How the Aviv Medical Program Can Support Brain Health

The Aviv Medical Program is a personalized intervention designed to improve brain and body health. Using the unique HBOT protocol discussed earlier, alongside other evidence-based interventions, this program can treat both physical and cognitive performance in older adults. In clinical trials, this protocol has also reversed key biomarkers of the aging process.

Depending on your symptoms, needs, and goals, our clinical team will perform an assessment that may include:

• In-depth medical history review
• Comprehensive physical and neurological exam
• Physical therapy evaluation
• Highly advanced brain imaging scans
• Neurocognitive tests

Once our board-certified physicians review your results, they’ll prescribe a customized treatment program designed to treat your concerns. This program may include:

• A specialized hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocol
• Physical training
• Dietary coaching
• Cognitive exercises
• Other interventions as prescribed

Real Client Results: Carl and Vickie’s Cognitive Improvements

Married couple Carl and Vickie both had parents with dementia and cognitive decline. They soon realized they were beginning to experience the same cognitive issues that they saw in their parents. 

The couple’s quality of life was not where it should have been, so they took action with the Aviv Medical Program. They use one word to describe their improvements in cognitive performance: “remarkable.” 

I’m dancing, I’m hiking, I’m running again. It’s just remarkable. I don’t know how else to say it.”  –Vickie Eckert, Aviv Medical Program Alumna

Take Control of Your Brain Health With Aviv Clinics

While science is still investigating all of the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, anyone can lower their likelihood by taking charge of their lifestyle. 

Preserving your cognitive health starts with the choices you make every day. Partnering with Aviv Clinics is just one of them. Contact our medical team to learn how we can help you.