ORLANDO, Fla. – Flossolution® today launches its first two products with Flossguard® Technology, the Flossolution 500 Series and Flossolution Lite.  Invented by Orlando-based dentist and Flossolution Founder Dr. Tim Pruett, Flossolution’s products are the first of their kind on the market, and tackle the challenges of everyday flossing by providing an easier, painless and more effective way to floss and brush teeth. 

"In our dental practice we’ve used every technique possible to motivate patients to floss, from showing photos of how much tooth structure is lost after removing decay between teeth, to adding up the chair-time and cost required to replace it,” said Dr. Pruett.  “For most patients, the resulting motivation is short-lived and the reasons for not flossing remain the same – it hurts, my gums bleed, it takes too long, the floss gets stuck, I don’t like putting my fingers in my mouth.  I finally realized that our patients understood the importance of regular flossing, it was just too difficult for most to make it part of their daily routine.  I knew we needed a new approach and that’s when Flossolution was born!”

Developed in Dr. Pruett’s lab and tested in his office, the Flossolution 500 Series and Flossolution Lite, are his solution to overcoming the common complaints shared by his patients on a daily basis.  The Flossolution 500 Series features a sonic powered handle to help make flossing quick and easy, while the Flossolution Lite is beneficial for those who need a smaller alternative or prefer a non-powered device.  Both products feature Flossguard and Bite Bumper™ technology. 

The Flossguard safely protects gums from flossing trauma by controlling the depth the floss can travel as it moves between tooth and gum.  The Bite Bumper acts as a soft pad for opposing teeth allowing for gentle biting pressure to be applied during flossing.  Flossolution products also feature tension-free flossers which increase functional effectiveness and safety while flossing.

In addition to their flossing capabilities, both the Flossolution 500 Series and Flossolution Lite feature Brush attachments to replace the Floss attachments, making it easy to go from flossing to brushing.  The Brusharms are designed to prevent what Dr. Pruett calls the second biggest problem in preventative dentistry today, toothbrush abrasion, by utilizing soft bristles and handles that promote gentle brushing techniques. 

For more information on Flossolution® products or to purchase one of your own, visit www.flossolution.com

Click here to access OSAP's recently updated issue toolkit for hepatitis C. Find patient and instructional resources and read about recent guildelines.

CHICAGO -- Ten thousand adults reach retirement age in the United States every day, but only two percent retain dental benefits. As older adults continue to age, other health problems complicate oral care, exacerbating already existing oral health issues, stretching already small budgets, and often making just getting to a dentist difficult. For those who end up in a nursing home or other long-term care facility, regular dental care is even harder to come by, with few facilities in the country prioritizing oral health for their residents.

Results from a new public opinion survey commissioned by Oral Health America (OHA) and sponsored by Oral Healthcare Can't Wait, 3M ESPE, and Crest + OralB give further evidence to what is becoming a crisis for America's older adult population. According to the survey, almost half of older adults with a household income of $35,000 or less have not been to the dentist in the past two years. In addition, 35 percent of low-income older adults have gone four years or more between dental visits. These troubling statistics are why OHA is focusing on older adults during its fourth annual Fall for Smiles® campaign, which encourages all Americans to maintain good oral health by brushing and flossing, regular dental visits, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding tobacco.“

Extensive research has shown us that oral health is inextricably tied to overall health, making it even more important for older adults to maintain a healthy mouth," said OHA President and CEO Beth Truett. "With this year's Fall for Smiles campaign, we hope to highlight the emerging crisis caused by lack of dental care for seniors and start a movement that changes the perception that your oral health naturally fails as you age."

According to the survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, over half of those who do not visit the dentist on a regular basis cite financial reasons or a lack of dental insurance.

We cannot continue to let economics determine the oral health of our aging population. The time has come to educate Americans about the importance of oral health and encourage lawmakers to support oral health initiatives.

"The oral health of the nation's older adults has been ignored for too long, and we are proud to support OHA's quest to bring attention to this important issue through the

Fall for Smiles campaign," said R. Ivan Lugo, DMD, MBA, Oral Care Professional and Scientific Relations, Regional Manager for North America and Puerto Rico, Procter & Gamble. "Through its relationships with dental associations and manufacturers across the country and the great work of Fall for Smiles, OHA is truly living their mission of connecting communities with resources."

The Fall for Smiles webpage, www.oralhealthamerica.org/fallforsmiles, features many resources and materials Americans of all ages and economic backgrounds can use to participate in the campaign and help spread the message of the importance of oral health. These materials include oral health tip sheets for kids and older adults, template press releases, web buttons, suggested social media language, and activities for families. Fall for Smiles is generously sponsored by: 3M ESPE, the American Association of Dental Office Mangers, Atlantic Precious Metal Refining, Crest + OralB, DentaQuest, Denticator, the Hispanic Dental Association, Hu-Friedy, Midmark, the National Dental Association, Oral Healthcare Can't Wait, OSAP-Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention, Patterson Dental, and Trident.

Phoenix, AZ  Dentists, hygienists and dental assistants frustrated by a lack of elasticity in non-latex gloves have a reason to rejoice. Le Soothe^® Polychloroprene Exam Gloves from SmartPractice have been rated by Clinicians Report^® as the only non-latex glove with Excellent Elasticity. Additionally, the gloves received an overall rating of Excellent-Good. 

Le Soothe Polychloroprene gloves fit, feel and perform like latex gloves but contain no natural rubber latex proteins to cause irritation in sensitized individuals. Dentists and dental hygienists who have tested these latex free gloves love the comfortable stretch and textured fingertips that provide superior grip in wet or dry conditions. They also prefer the thinner feel for increased tactile sensitivity that allows precision during delicate procedures.

Karen Burk, SmartPractice Product Manager says, “Dental practices who made the switch to non latex gloves often noted the stiffer, less precise fit and missed the form-fitting stretch of latex. Now dentists, hygienists and dental assistants can have a latex free glove option without sacrificing any stretch, fit or tactile sensitivity.”

Combined with the top-selling Le Soothe features of Aloe Vera, Nopal and the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E in the emulsion, they leave your hands looking and feeling even better. The comfort, durability and performance of Le Soothe Polychloroprene Exam Gloves make them an ideal choice for the entire dental team – not just those sensitive to latex.

Clinicians Report is an independent, non-profit dental education and product testing foundation. Full February 2013 report is available upon request.

SmartPractice^® is a family-owned company serving dental professionals with patient communications, promotional giveaways, dental supplies, office supplies, practice marketing and innovative glove solutions for more than 40 years.

To learn more, visit smartpractice.com or call 800.522.0800.

[Press Release]--The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends all children ages 6 months or older be immunized against influenza as soon as vaccine is available – either with the trivalent vaccine that protects against three strains of the virus, or with a new quadrivalent vaccine that protects against four strains.

The AAP released its updated recommendations in a policy statement, “Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2013-2014,” in the October 2013 issue of Pediatrics (published online Sept. 2).

A special effort should be made to vaccinate people in vulnerable groups, including children with chronic health conditions, children of American Indian or Alaskan Native heritage, health care workers, women who are pregnant, may become pregnant or are breastfeeding, and household contacts and caregivers of children in high-risk populations.

New quadrivalent influenza vaccines for the 2013-2014 season contain the same three strains as the trivalent vaccine, plus an additional B strain. Although this may offer improved protection, the AAP does not give preference for one type of flu vaccine over another. 

“Parents should not delay vaccinating their children to obtain a specific vaccine,” said pediatrician Henry Bernstein, D.O., FAAP, the lead author of the flu recommendations. “Influenza virus is unpredictable, and what’s most important is that people receive the vaccine soon, so that they will be protected when the virus begins circulating.”                                     

Recent data show that most people who have an egg allergy can receive the inactivated influenza vaccine. Although inactivated vaccine given as a single, age-appropriate dose is well-tolerated by all recipients who have egg allergy, pediatricians should consult with an allergist for any child with history of a severe reaction.

The AAP continues to recommend using the antiviral medicines oseltamivir or zanamivir for children hospitalized for influenza or with severe influenza symptoms, and in children with influenza who have underlying chronic conditions. Given its known safety profile, oseltamivir can be used to treat influenza in both term and preterm infants from birth, while chemoprophylaxis should only be considered in term infants.

To win the war against weight gain, it turns out that every skirmish matters – as long as the physical activity puts your heart and lungs to work.

In a new study published today in the American Journal of Health Promotion, University of Utah researchers found that even brief episodes of physical activity that exceed a certain level of intensity can have as positive an effect on weight as does the current recommendation of 10 or more minutes at a time.

"What we learned is that for preventing weight gain, the intensity of the activity matters more than duration," says Jessie X. Fan, professor of family and consumer studies at the U. "This new understanding is important because fewer than 5% of American adults today achieve the recommended level of physical activity in a week according to the current physical activity guidelines. Knowing that even short bouts of 'brisk' activity can add up to a positive effect is an encouraging message for promoting better health."

The current physical activity guideline for Americans is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, MVPA, a week, which can be accumulated in 8- to 10-minute periods. MVPA is defined as greater than 2,020 counts per minute measured with a tool called an accelerometer.

For an average person in an everyday setting without a fancy gadget to gauge the exertion, that would translate roughly to a walking speed of about 3 mph. But taking the stairs, parking at the far end of the lot, and walking to the store or between errands are choices that can add up and can make a positive health difference, the researchers note.

The study shows that higher-intensity activity was associated with a lower risk of obesity, whether in "bouts" of fewer or greater than 10 minutes.

This may be especially important news for women, who were on average less physically active than men. However, neither men nor women came close to the weekly 150-minute recommendation with bouts of eight to 10 minutes. However, when adding shorter bouts of higher-intensity activity, men exceeded the recommendation on average, accumulating 246 minutes per week, and women came close, at 144 minutes per week on average. The message is: a little more effort can have an important health payback.

How the Study was Conducted

Subjects for the study were drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES, a national program that has been collecting health and nutrition data from a representative sample of adults and children in the United States since 1999.

From 2003 to 2006, participants in the survey wore accelerometers for 7 days, which captured data on their physical activity. This information was in addition to the broad range of demographic and health-related information collected in the NHANES program from interviews and physical examinations.

For this study, participants from 18 to 64 years of age were drawn from the database. There were some exclusions, including pregnancy or impairments that compromised participants' ability to walk, such as being wheelchair bound. The final sample size for the current study was 2,202 women and 2,309 men.

Researchers compared measurements of physical activity based on length of time and intensity. Four categories were created: higher-intensity bouts (greater than 10 minutes exertion at greater than 2,020 counts per minutes, or CPM), higher-intensity short bouts (less than 10 minutes at greater than 2,020 CPM), lower-intensity long bouts (greater than 10 minutes and less than 2,019 CPM), and lower-intensity short bouts (less than 10 minutes and less than 2,019 CPM).

The study used body mass index, BMI, to measure weight status. BMI is a standard formula calculated using an individual's weight adjusted for height, and is used as an indicator of healthy weight. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal weight, whereas a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is overweight; and over 30 is obese.

Results show that for women, each daily minute spent in higher-intensity short bouts was related to a decrease of 0.07 BMI. Looking at it another way, each such minute offset the calorie equivalent of 0.41 pounds. This means that when comparing two women each 5-feet-5-inches tall, the woman who regularly adds a minute of brisk activity to her day will weigh nearly a half-pound less. Results were similar for men. Importantly for both, each daily minute of higher-intensity activity lowered the odds of obesity -- 5% for women, and 2% for men.

MELVILLE, N.Y., /PRNewswire/ -- For the 16^th year, Henry Schein, Inc., the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners, is helping children head back to school with brand new clothes and essential school supplies donated by the Company's Team Schein Members, supplier partners and local businesses. Nearly 4,000 children in Henry Schein communities across North America will participate this year in "Back to School" events during August.

The largest of the events will take place today at the Company's worldwide headquarters in Melville, N.Y., where more than 600 children, identified by local social service organizations, will attend the "Back to School" event. Along with dinner, games, balloon animals, face painting and music, the children will receive new outfits personally selected and paid for by Team Schein Members, and backpacks filled with school supplies, books and hygiene products, generously donated by the Company, supplier partners, and local Long Island businesses, as well as a grant from FirstBook.org and donation from Simon & Schuster, Inc.

"Heading back to school should be an exciting time of year for all children," said Gerry Benjamin, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Henry Schein. "Equipping students with terrific clothes for the first day back in the classroom, and essential school supplies, helps to boost their confidence and motivation to start the school year ready for success. Thanks to the overwhelming support of our Team Schein Members, supplier partners and local businesses, the Henry Schein 'Back to School' program continues to grow each year."  

Henry Schein's "Back to School" program initially supported 150 children from Long Island.  Since its inception, the program has sponsored nearly 22,000 children in North America. "Back to School" is a flagship initiative of Henry Schein Cares, the Company's global social responsibility program, and is supported by the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that works to foster, support, and promote dental, medical, and animal health by helping to increase access to care for communities around the world.

To help identify children to participate in the 2013 "Back to School" event at Henry Schein's headquarters, the Company partnered with Family and Children's Association, MPowering Kids, The McCoy Center, Family Service League, Department of Social Services, Hispanic Counseling Center, Madonna Heights, Bethany House, Habitat for Humanity, YES Community Counseling Center and The Raymar Children's Fund.

"Seeing the smiles on the faces of the children who eagerly rip open their boxes filled with new clothes for their first day of school, and brand new backpacks filled to the brim with needed supplies is priceless," said Karen Boorshtein, LCSW, President and CEO, Family Service League. "Working with Henry Schein on the 'Back to School' program is an opportunity for us to help lift the financial burden from children and their families who have so many economic challenges to juggle with limited resources. We're proud to be part of this program that helps give peace of mind to families as they prepare for this important time of year."

About Henry Schein Cares and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation

Henry Schein Cares, Henry Schein's global corporate social responsibility program, stands on four pillars: engaging Team Schein Members to reach their potential, ensuring accountability by extending ethical business practices to all levels within Henry Schein, promoting environmental sustainability, and expanding access to health care for underserved and at-risk communities around the world. Health care activities supported by Henry Schein Cares focus on three main areas: advancing wellness, building capacity in the delivery of health care services, and assisting in emergency preparedness and relief.

Firmly rooted in a deep commitment to social responsibility and the concept of enlightened self-interest championed by Benjamin Franklin, the philosophy behind Henry Schein Cares is a vision of "doing well by doing good." Through the work of Henry Schein Cares to enhance access to care for those in need, the Company believes that it is furthering its long-term success.

Established in 2008, Henry Schein Cares Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, works to foster, support, and promote dental, medical, and animal health by helping to increase access to care for communities around the world.

The Henry Schein Cares Foundation carries out its mission through financial and health care product donations that support health care professionals and community-based programs focused on prevention, wellness, and treatment; disaster preparedness and relief; and capacity building of health institutions that provide training and care. To learn more about the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, please visit: www.hscaresfoundation.org. The "Helping Health Happen Blog" is a platform for health care professionals to share their volunteer experiences delivering assistance to those in need globally. To read more about how Henry Schein Cares is making a difference, please visit our blog: https://helpinghealthhappen.org/.

About Henry Schein, Inc.

Henry Schein, Inc. is the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners. The Company also serves dental laboratories, government and institutional health care clinics, and other alternate care sites.

A Fortune 500® Company and a member of the NASDAQ 100® Index, Henry Schein employs nearly 16,000 Team Schein Members and serves more than 775,000 customers. The Company offers a comprehensive selection of products and services, including value-added solutions for operating efficient practices and delivering high-quality care. Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 96,000 branded products and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 110,000 additional products available as special-order items.

The Company also offers its customers exclusive, innovative technology solutions, including practice management software and e-commerce solutions, as well as a broad range of financial services.

Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein has operations or affiliates in 24 countries. The Company's sales reached a record $8.9 billion in 2012, and have grown at a compound annual rate of 17% since Henry Schein became a public company in 1995. For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com.

NEW YORK/PRNewswire/ -- On the one-year anniversary of their Kids' Healthy Mouths campaign, the Ad Council and the Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives are pleased to announce results from a new study¹ that demonstrate substantial progress in the effort to improve children's oral health habits. The survey, administered to English and Spanish-speaking parents, indicates that more parents report regularly monitoring and maintaining their child's oral health; subsequently, more children are regularly brushing.

Since the Kids' Healthy Mouths campaign launched in August 2012, it has received tremendous media exposure through widespread TV, radio, print, outdoor and digital Public Service Advertisements (PSAs) in both English and Spanish. The campaign has been embraced by media outlets throughout the country, which have donated more than $33 million in free ad time and space. The PSAs aim to reduce the prevalence of dental decay by motivating parents to promote good oral health habits with their kids by reminding them to brush two minutes, twice a day to avoid oral pain in the future.

According to the study administered by the Ad Council:

• More than 50 percent of parents surveyed have seen or heard the new Kids' Healthy Mouths PSAs.

• Significantly more parents in 2013 report that their child brushes at least twice a day compared to before the campaign launched (55 percent of English-speaking parents in 2013, up from 48 percent in 2012, and 77 percent of Spanish-speaking parents in 2013, up from 69 percent in 2012).

• Parents in 2013 were also more likely to report their child brushes for at least two minutes each time (64 percent of English-speaking parents in 2013, up from 60 percent in 2012, and 77 percent of Spanish-speaking parents in 2013, up from 69 percent in 2012).

• An increased number of English and Spanish-speaking parents report being "good" or "very good" at making sure their child brushes at least twice a day (65 percent of English-speaking parents in 2013, up from 60 percent in 2012, and 77 percent of Spanish-speaking parents in 2013, up from 73 percent in 2012) for two minutes each time (58 percent of English-speaking parents in 2013, up from 53 percent in 2012, and 79 percent of Spanish-speaking parents in 2013, up from 75 percent in 2012).

Dental decay is currently the most common chronic childhood disease in the United States, affecting 16.5 million children. Oral disease disproportionately affects children from low-income families, who have nearly double the number of cases of untreated dental decay as the general public.

"We are extremely pleased with these results and with the overall impact of our campaign. Many dental problems can be avoided through simple changes in routines, and we're seeing now how receptive Americans are to this message," said Gary Price, Secretary and CEO of the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation. "Through our collective efforts together with the Ad Council, we have become the foremost voice on the issue of improving children's oral health nationwide."

"These are some of the strongest survey results we've seen after only one year of a campaign. This is the first campaign in the Ad Council's 71-year history to address oral health, and we are proud to be part of such an important effort to improve the lives of millions of parents and children," said Peggy Conlon, President and CEO of the Ad Council.

Since the campaign launch, there have been more than 1.3 million visitors to the campaign website, 2min2x.org, which offers a collection of free, two-minute videos – featuring notable characters from children's shows and networks, including Sesame Street and Cartoon Network – that kids can watch while brushing. The campaign has also benefited from tremendous press coverage, partnerships with influential parent-focused websites, endorsements from celebrity moms and strong support from the dental community.

The campaign has gone further in recent months – offering children's oral health tips to parents on their cell phones via SMS messages. Parents can subscribe by texting "BRUSH" to 30364 or by visiting the homepage of 2min2x.org. In the upcoming months, the campaign will launch a new mobile game app for kids and their parents and a new national in-school oral health education program that aims to reach lower income and minority children and their families. English and Spanish language brochures will also be distributed to dental offices this fall. All of the multimedia PSAs were created pro bono by ad agencies Grey Group and Wing in New York.

¹ The study referenced in this press release was commissioned by the Ad Council and conducted by Cayenne Global Research. All respondents were parents of children ages 0-12. More than 1,000 English-speaking respondents were sampled from Cayenne Global Research's national opt-in survey panel and were surveyed online. More than 500 Spanish-speaking respondents were sampled through a national list of households and were contacted randomly to participate in a telephone survey.

Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives

The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives (www.healthymouthshealthylives.org) is a coalition of the leading organizations in the field of oral health. The Partnership is committed to improve children's oral health so that they can develop into healthy, productive adults. The Coalition shares the view that no child should be in pain and suffer broader health issues or endure the social stigma and lack of opportunity resulting from untreated dental diseases and conditions. The Coalition's primary mission is to teach parents and caregivers, as well as the children themselves, to take control of their own health through oral disease prevention.

Members of the Partnership include: Academy of General Dentistry, Alliance of the American Dental Association, American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Periodontology, American Association for Dental Research, American Association of Endodontists, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Association of Orthodontists, American Association of Public Health Dentistry, American Association of Women Dentists, American College of Prosthodontists, American Dental Assistants Association, American Dental Association, American Dental Education Association, American Dental Hygienists' Association, America's Dentists Care Foundation, Association of State & Territorial Dental Directors, California Dental Association, Children's Dental Health Project, Connecticut Coalition for Oral Health, Connecticut State Dental Association, Dental Trade Alliance Foundation, DentaQuest Foundation, Hispanic Dental Association, Maine Dental Access Coalition, Medicaid/SCHIP Dental Association, National Association of Dental Laboratories, National Children's Oral Health Foundation, National Dental Association, National Network for Oral Health Access, Oral Health America, Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention, Santa Fe Group,the Society of American Indian Dentists and Washington State Dental Association.

SafeLink Consulting introduces its Hazard Communication (HazCom) Training Toolkit. The Toolkit allows easy, cost-effective, and timely compliance with OSHA’s revised Hazard Communication Standard. It also clarifies the new requirements, provides OSHA-required employee training, reduces the risk of certain types of OSHA visits and/or fines, and saves the time otherwise-required to research this updated standard.

OSHA’s revision is based on its March 2012 adoption of certain components of The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). By the December 1, 2013 deadline, employers will be required to train employees to recognize and understand all new classifications, labelings, universal pictograms (symbols) and standardized safety data sheets. In addition, under future deadlines, businesses will be required to add global pictograms identifying hazardous products, and be required to use standardized Safety Data Sheets.

The HazCom Toolkit was developed by the dental industry’s top safety consultants, who, in addition to their decades of bench, office and chairside experience, are also authorized trainers under OSHA's Outreach Program, FDA Title 21 consultants and internal auditors, and approved DAMAS certification auditors in both North America and Asia. 

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Mary Borg, SafeLink's President, says, “People have been talking, worrying and wondering about the OSHA revisions for over a year, but the truth is nobody’s developed a concise, complete and accurate system, a step-by-step answer, to make it easy for the business owner to say ‘Off my list. On to more profitable activities.’ Luckily, we were in a great position to have done so.”  

SafeLink’s HazCom Toolkit is priced at $155 and is available immediately. It includes:

• Step-by-step Employer instructions and guide on CD

• OSHA’s Revised Hazard Communication Standard 

• Employee training DVD 

• Explanation of the Globally Harmonized System 

• Pictogram Labels and Poster 

• Training Test and Certificate of Completion 

• Training Register 

• Sample HazCom Program for use in developing a custom program

DALLAS— Smoking cigarettes may cause similar stroke risks for men and women, but women smokers may be at greater risk for a more deadly and uncommon type of stroke, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.

When compared to non-smokers of the same gender, smoking increases the risk of having any type of stroke by 60 to 80 percent in women and men.

Researchers said the finding is intriguing because other studies have found strong evidence that smoking conveys a much higher risk of heart disease – which shares a common disease process with stroke – for women than for men.

Researchers compared data from more than 80 international studies that were published between 1966 and 2013. They found that smoking is linked to more than a 50 percent greater risk of ischemic stroke the most common stroke – one that’s caused by a blood clot– in both men and women. However, for the more deadly type of stroke – one that is caused by a brain bleed, known as a hemorrhagic stroke – smoking resulted in a 17 percent greater risk in women than in men.

Moreover, compared to men who smoke, the risk for women who smoke was about 10 percent higher in Western countries – possibly reflecting a greater cumulative exposure to smoking – than in Asian countries.

The study also found evidence that men and women who smoke can significantly reduce their stroke risk by quitting smoking.

Researchers suggested that the greater risk for bleeding stroke among women might be due to hormones and how nicotine impacts blood fats. It seems that fats, cholesterol and triglycerides increase to a greater extent in women who smoke compared with men who smoke, increasing their risk for coronary heart disease to a greater extent than in male smokers.

“Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for stroke for both men and women, but fortunately, quitting smoking is a highly effective way to lower your stroke risk,” said Rachel Huxley, lead author of the study and Professor, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia. “Tobacco control policies should be a mainstay of primary stroke prevention programs.”

Co-authors are Sanne Peters, Ph.D., and Mark Woodward, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The study was funded by the Niels Stensen Fellowship.