Belly Fat Is Bad, Even at a Normal Weight

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Can belly fat be a problem even for people who aren’t overweight? New research says yes, excess weight around the middle boosts the risk of premature death even for people considered normal weight.

What’s more, normal weight people with excess stomach fat had an even higher risk of dying early than overweight or obese people did, according to new research published online Nov. 10 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Belly fat is bad fat,” said Dr. Paul Poirier, from the Institute of Cardiology at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, and the author of an accompanying editorial in the same issue of the journal.

Stomach fat has been linked to high cholesterol, inflammation, heart disease, stroke and diabetes, he explained.

“When you have fat around the belly, it’s a lot worse than having the same amount of fat around the hip,” Poirier said. “If your weight is normal, but you have weight around the middle, it’s bad. If you’ve got a belly above 40 inches for men and 34 inches for women, this is obesity [even if your weight measurements seem normal],” Poirier said.

These people may not be obese from a weight perspective, but they are obese from a waist perspective, he said.

For the study, a team led by Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., used data from a national survey to compare the risk of premature death among more than 15,000 adults. The mean follow-up time was 14 years.

The researchers looked at body mass index (BMI), a rough estimate of body fat based on weight and height measurements. They also looked at waist-to-hip ratios.

The investigators found that normal weight adults with extra stomach fat had the worst long-term survival, regardless of BMI. And, normal weight men with bigger bellies seemed to fare even worse than slender women with more tummy fat.

A normal weight male with more fat around the waist had an 87 percent increased risk of death during the study period compared to a man who was normal weight without extra belly fat. Compared to overweight or obese men (as measured solely by BMI, without specific waist size information), a normal weight man with extra belly fat had more than twice the risk of dying early, the study revealed.

Normal weight women with extra belly fat had nearly a 50 percent increased risk of death during the study period versus a normal weight woman whose weight was more equally distributed throughout her body. Compared to obese women (measured by BMI only), the normal weight women with belly fat had a 32 percent higher risk of early death, the researchers found.

Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, in New Haven, Conn., and president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, said the study findings raise the question: who would have more belly fat and still be at a normal weight according to their BMI?

Some people are more prone to depositing excess fat around the middle, he said. This can lead to fat accumulation in vital organs, especially the liver, he explained.

Another group may be those who have excess body fat and illness, perhaps in early stages, causing loss of lean body mass, Katz said. Although it’s not clear from this study how many people might fall into this category, he added.

Regardless of why someone has gained weight around the middle, Katz said, “We have long known that all varieties of overweight are not created equal with regard to health risk, and that central obesity is the most concerning variety.”

In his editorial, Poirier wrote, “These new data provide evidence that clinicians should look beyond BMI. Although assessing for total fat mass with BMI to identify patients at greater cardiovascular risk is a good start, it is not sufficient.”

More information

For more information on obesity, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Jury Still Out on Silicone Breast Implant Safety

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — After years of study, a new analysis finds there is still insufficient evidence on whether silicone breast implants are linked to any long-term health effects.

The report, published online Nov. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, is the latest round in the long debate over silicone breast implant safety.

The implants came to the U.S. market in the 1960s. But in 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called for a moratorium on silicone implants until more could be learned about their long-range safety.

The move came in response to concerns that ruptured silicone implants might pose health hazards that could emerge years later — raising the odds of breast cancer, reproductive problems or connective tissue diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Studies in the years since have failed to show definitive links to any disease risk, and the implants returned to the U.S. market in 2006.

At the time, though, the FDA acknowledged that the implants’ long-term safety was still uncertain. So the products’ return came with several conditions for manufacturers — including a requirement to conduct long-term follow-up studies.

Almost 10 years later, however, the evidence is “still inconclusive,” said lead researcher Dr. Ethan Balk. This latest analysis was commissioned by the Plastic Surgery Foundation, with funding from several companies that make silicone breast implants.

Looking at 32 studies conducted from the 1990s onward, Balk’s team found no clear evidence tying silicone breast implants to the risks of cancer, connective tissue diseases, multiple sclerosis or other health conditions.

A few studies did find an association between the implants and certain diseases related to abnormal immune system activity, including rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren syndrome (which affects the saliva and tear glands).

But the findings were inconsistent, the review found.

According to Balk, a major issue across all 32 studies is that most were flawed — failing to account for other factors that could explain a connection between breast implants and disease risk.

“We know there are fundamental differences between women who choose to have breast implants, and those who don’t,” said Balk, who is associate director of the Brown Evidence-Based Practice Center at Brown University, in Providence, R.I.

Studies have found, for example, that women who opt for breast augmentation are typically thinner, more active and more likely to use birth control pills, versus other women. They also tend to drink alcohol more often, and have higher smoking rates.

“If you don’t account for those factors, you can’t know whether there’s a true association between the implants themselves and health outcomes,” Balk said.

Some studies in the review found that breast implants were linked to a lower risk of certain health conditions, including breast cancer. But, Balk said, it’s hard to explain why that would be, and the lower risks could, again, be explained by other factors in the women’s lives.

Similarly, six studies in the review found a connection between breast implants and higher-than-average suicide risk. But none of them, Balk said, did an adequate job of accounting for other factors — including women’s psychological well-being.

“No one is suggesting that implants cause suicide,” Balk said.

Dr. Rod Rohrich, a plastic surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, agreed.

“At this point, we’ve had study after study suggesting that implants are not associated with any disease risk, at least in the intermediate term,” said Rohrich, who wrote an editorial published with the study.

However, he added, since those studies have either not gone on long enough or have design flaws, the story is not over.

“We still need a national registry to follow patients long-term,” Rohrich said.

The FDA and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have said they will collaborate on creating that national registry, but as yet it does not exist.

The registry should prove helpful, according to Balk — but only if it contains enough data to account for the other variables in patients’ lives.

For now, Rohrich said, women considering breast implants should fully discuss the pros and cons with their doctor, whether they’re getting silicone or saline-filled implants.

There are plenty of known risks. According to the FDA, they include breast pain, capsular contracture — a hardening of the breast tissue around the implant — and the formation of hard lumps under the skin.

“Plus,” Rohrich said, “implants are not a one-shot deal. They last about 10 to 15 years, then have to be removed and replaced.”

“It’s a commitment,” he added. “It’s definitely not something you want to rush into.”

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more on silicone breast implants.

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The Most Popular Brow Shapes in the Country, by Zip Code

Art: Courtesy of http://ift.tt/1k5dMjy Berman

If eyes are the windows to your soul, your brows are the fancy curtains. They frame your face, polish your look, and once you start noticing the subtle but very real changes, you’ll never go back. From waxing to filling, tinting, and tweezing, maintaining and grooming your eyebrows is the easiest way to enhance your (already) beautiful face.

While brow trends come and go, each zip code maintains its own distinctive look. Give your look a city-specific makeover based on where you live or even your favorite vacation destination. We tapped brow experts from all over the country to help narrow down the most popular look in each city. We included tips, tricks, and tutorials to customize your favorite shape, below.

New York City: The Power Arch

In true New York spirit, women want a brow that’s strong and styled. Brow expert Manana Dzhanimanova exclaims, “Bigger is better! Thin brows are out. Today’s most requested and popular brow shape is thick and natural with a soft arch. It’s all about the untouched look.” The best way to achieve this look? Put down the tweezers.

NYC-based brow specialist Julianne Valente explains, “Most of my clients want a thick fuller brow with a little lift. Sometimes a full brow does not always go with the clients’ face shape and can even close their eyes and make them look older and tired. Seeing a professional is the way to go. I shape them to a client’s face and tint them for a fuller look. I think blondes look best with a bit of a darker brow while brunettes should go a shade or two lighter. Using a brow pencil can help fill in sparse brows and make them more symmetrical.” She adds, “Ladies, beware of those magnifying mirrors, where plucking one or two hairs can lead to a loss of half a brow!”

Global brow expert Jared Bailey suggests, “For those who need help faking a fuller looking brow, try a volumizing fiber gel. The formula is filled of micro fibers that actually mimic the look of real hair. Bold brows are really having a moment, so with the right product, you can really transform even the thinnest brows into full lush arches, instantly.”

Los Angeles: The Classic Brow

L.A. makeup artist Elena Drokinahas receives the most requests for a more classic brow—it’s full, natural, and maintains a beautiful arch. Think Jessica Alba, Elizabeth Olsen, Kate Winslet, and Selena Gomez. Drokinahas says, “To achieve this look, you must enhance the shape you already have naturally without trying to change it. Waxing should be minimal and left to outside corners. Define the arch with tweezers making sure not to over-tweeze. Finish with brow gel (we like Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama) to keep the hair in place and eyebrow pencil and powder (try Maybelline New York Eyestudio Brow Define and Fill Duo) to fill in any sparse areas.”

Brow specialist Helena Tamargo adds, “L.A. demands symmetry and perfection so I always style their brows with structure, volume, and lift.”

Miami: The Diva Brow

The most popular brow in Miami is angled and sleek, as it creates a more dominant look on the face. Because Miami has such a fun nightlife scene, it’s only natural that the brows would command a bit more attention.

To create that defined sharpness, use concealer underneath and above the eyebrow, getting as close as you can to the edges. After blending, take a flat eyeshadow brush and add a shimmering shadow to highlight your arch and brow bone. Waxing is the best way to keep up the preciseness of the shape.

Chicago: Thick and Full

Chicago’s brows of the moment are angled and tapered according to eye shape. It’s full and bushy à la Cara Delevingne, Lily Collins, and the latest model to join the pack Xenia Deli. Chicago-based brow specialist Elle Glass recommends, “The point I always stress is to stop trying to match your brows with each other. Give up the love affair with that good left brow. Stop hating that lower right one. Make the most of them today. A lot of how they fit your face has to do with the bones they sit on. One bone is higher and one is lower, which makes them sisters not twins!”

To achieve the look, try lash lengtheners on your brows to speed up growth. Glass adds, “Powder and pencil help a girl fake it till she makes it. I use a pencil to create hairs that don’t exist yet or tails that have lost their trail. After that, use shadow or brow powder with an angled brush to make the brow appear fuller. I am a fan of a slightly arched brow. It’s clean, polished, looks great with a little highlighter, and who doesn’t want a little eye lift?”

Boston: Girl-Next-Door-Brow

Boston women most commonly request a straight, flat brow shape with a minimal arch (if any at all). Expert Michele Raposa asserts that the shape “creates an fresh-faced, youthful look like that of Natalie Portman and Rooney Mara.” So, if we can look like either of them, we’re in. The flat brow is also a popular trend, so there are several stencil options that aid in creating the proper shape (it’s super easy!).

Use a brow pencil over a powder brush to allow for more control in drawing a straight line and go a few shades lighter than your usual color to fill in any sparse parts. That way, the defined look will read more soft than overly harsh. You can even use a flamingo razor to clean up any stray hairs and further define your eyebrow shape if you’re feeling confident.

Dallas: Bold and Classy

Dallas-based makeup artist and esthetician Dolores Villanueva talks the brow trends in Texas. “In Dallas, our ladies want full natural eyebrows with a natural arch and a more angular shape. Not overly manicured or arched. This gives the eye a natural lift.”

To achieve this look, a wax and brow tint does wonders to add shape and definition—think of it as a glaze for your hair. And don’t tweeze! Seriously, don’t. Expert Charlie McInnis explains, “A custom tint takes to even the finest hairs, leaving behind eye-defining arches you never knew you had.”

Denver: The Boyish Brow

Denver girls favor the most natural brow of all—kept, but effortlessly unkept-looking, this androgynous shape is easy to achieve and even easier to maintain. Invest in a spoolie brush to feather your brows out each morning and a great pomade to keep unruly hairs in check.

Our favorite new product that achieves just that is Glossier Boy Brow. The shades are sheer but noticeable, beeswax and carnauba wax allow for a unique texture that holds, and atelocollagen actually conditions and strengthens your brow hair. And, this one tiny product does the job of 3 or 4. That way, low-maintenance gals like yourselves can be out the door in way less time.

This article orginally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

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MIMI Chatter is an endless stream of beauty content. We bring together the must-knows and the how-tos from your favorite sites, beauty influencers, our editors, and YOU.

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Lindsey Vonn’s Back on the Slopes After a Gnarly Dog Bite

Photo: Getty Images

Lindsey Vonn just can’t catch a break.

Just a few weeks after returning to the slopes following an ankle fracture, the four-time World Cup champion and gold medal-winning skier landed back in the hospital this weekend, this time thanks to a nasty dog bite to her hand.

“So the story is that my dogs got rowdy fighting over a dang Frisbee and I tried to break it up but got bit instead. Fun weekend,” Vonn tweeted on Saturday.

Later that day, she posted a video to her Instagram account showing off the extent of her injuries. (Warning: don’t watch if you’re squeamish.)

RELATED: Lindsey Vonn on Girls Vacation: ‘Friends Don’t Let Friends Miss Ab Day’

Despite a few stitches, the Olympian remained in good spirits. She even cracked a joke about how her injury made for a great Jimmy Fallon belated Halloween costume, a reference to Fallon’s nasty finger injury earlier this summer.

Never one to pass up a joke, the late-night host tweeted well wishes to Vonn, while also poking some fun at himself.

“@LindseyVonn Oh no! I was faking mine,” he tweeted. “You should’ve called me first! #QuickRecovery.”

The athlete responded, “Well I should get an A for effort at least #DefinitelyShouldHaveCalled.”

Thankfully, the injury didn’t keep Vonn down for too long; the next day she posted a video of herself back on the slopes.

“Dog bite is fine,” she captioned with the thumbs up emoji.

The lesson for the rest of us: maybe don’t come between your dogs and the Frisbee.

RELATED: Tips for Preventing Dog Bites

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Learn How to Tie a Chic Knotted Ponytail With This Easy Hair Tutorial

Photo Credit: Redken

Ponytail, meet party. “This version comes across as sophisticated yet doesn’t seem like you’re trying too hard,” says Redken Global Creative Director Guido Palau, who did this look.

If your updos often come undone, try criscrossing two bobby pins over each other to keep it in its place. For good grip, be sure the ridged side–not the smooth one–is against your scalp.

How to get the look: Apply smoothing lotion from midshaft to ends, then blow-dry with a round brush. “A sleek finish transforms the style from everyday to special occasion,” says Palau. Mist hairspray onto fingertips and draw hair back. As you secure the pony with an elastic, pull strands only halfway through so you make a loop with the ends sticking out. Spritz with hairspray.

Pro picks: Kérastase Couture Styling Crème de la Crème ($33, amazon.com) and Redken Forceful 23 ($18, ulta.com).

Photo: Christine Blackburne

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Create a Beautiful Looped Updo With This Easy Hair Tutorial

Photo: John Barrett Salon

Consider this the antidote to complicated updos (enter prom hair flashbacks). “It’s beautifully simple and especially flattering with clothing that has a dramatic neckline,” says Jay Ree, lead stylist at John Barrett Salon in New York City, who created this look. While it works on any texture, strands should be shoulder-length or longer.

How-to get the look: Blow-dry hair smooth; if yours is very curly or coarse, follow with a flatiron. Work a bit of volumizing powder into roots at the hairline and crown to add fullness. Tie a low ponytail into roots at the hairline and crown to add fullness. Tie a low ponytail directly above the nape of your neck, then run a dime-size dollop of smoothing wax through hair to ensure a super-sleek result. Now grasp the end of the ponytail with your thumb and index finger, bring it up to the base to create a loop and pin, leaving a few inches loose. Wrap those strands over the elastic, tuck under and secure with another pin.

Pro picks: Shu Uemura Art of Hair Volume Maker ($48, birchbox.com) and Motions Shine Enhancing Pomade ($4, amazon.com).

Photo: Christine Blackburne

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Even Easy Exercise May Lower Blood Pressure in Those With Diabetes

MONDAY, Nov. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Just a few minutes of easy exercise daily can help lower blood pressure in overweight and obese people with type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

“It appears you don’t have to do very much,” co-author Bronwyn Kingwell, head of metabolic and vascular physiology at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes in Melbourne, Australia, said in an American Heart Association news release.

“We saw some marked blood pressure reductions over trial days when people did the equivalent of walking to the water cooler or some simple body-weight movements on the spot,” she noted.

For the study, the researchers monitored blood pressure levels in 24 overweight and obese adults as they sat for eight hours. The average age of the study participant was 62. All had type 2 diabetes.

The study participants took brief breaks from sitting, and either walked slowly for three minutes or did three minutes of simple resistance exercises every half hour. Again, their blood pressure was monitored.

The resistance exercises included activities such as half-squats, calf raises, knee raises, or gluteal muscle squeezes.

Compared to uninterrupted sitting, light walking led to an average 10-point drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading). Simple resistance exercise led to an average 12-point decrease in systolic blood pressure, the study reported.

“Light activity breaks are not meant to replace regular, purposeful exercise. But they may be a practical solution to cut down on sitting time, especially if you’re at your desk all day,” Kingwell said.

The study was to be presented Monday at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in Orlando. Fla. Until published in a peer-reviewed journal, findings presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers a guide to physical activity.

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Lower Blood Pressure Target Could Save Lives: Study

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Millions of Americans could avoid heart disease if doctors controlled their high blood pressure more aggressively than previously recommended, a groundbreaking study contends.

The SPRINT trial has revealed that a target systolic blood pressure of 120 reduces by about one-quarter the rate of death, heart attack, heart failure and stroke, compared with the currently recommended target pressures of 140 for people under age 60 and 150 for seniors.

“This is, in my view, the most important blood pressure study of the last 40 years,” Dr. Dan Jones, a past president of the American Heart Association, said during a presentation on SPRINT Monday at the association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. The final results were also published in the New England Journal of Medicine, to coincide with the meeting presentation.

Systolic pressure is the top of the two blood pressure numbers; it indicates the pressure being placed on blood vessels when the heart beats.

Jones said the SPRINT findings will likely weigh heavily on any future revisions the American Heart Association will make to its blood pressure treatment guidelines.

At least 16.8 million Americans could potentially benefit from the type of aggressive therapy pursued under SPRINT, according to a related report in the Nov. 9 online issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

That includes 10.8 million adults who directly fall under the guidelines by which people were included in the SPRINT trial — aged 50 or older, a systolic blood pressure of 130 or higher and at least one additional risk factor for heart disease, said lead author Adam Bress, a research assistant professor of pharmacotherapy at the University of Utah.

“These are the individuals most likely to benefit from a new blood pressure target, because they meet all of the criteria that the SPRINT enrollees met,” Bress said. “That’s a very large group of people.”

But it also includes 3 million people who have systolic blood pressure between 130 and 139 who are already taking medication. “Based on SPRINT, these people may benefit from increasing their dosage or adding more medications,” Bress said.

Additionally, there’s another 3 million in the 130-139 systolic blood pressure range who are trying to manage their blood pressure solely through lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. “Based on SPRINT, these individuals would highly likely benefit from starting medication,” Bress said.

Back in September, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), which funded the trial, ended it more than a year early so they could share what they called “potentially lifesaving information” with the public.

High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and other health problems, according to the NIH. An estimated one in three people in the United States has high blood pressure.

More than 9,300 participants aged 50 and older were recruited for SPRINT from about 100 medical centers and clinical practices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

When SPRINT was first designed, well-established clinical guidelines recommended a systolic blood pressure of less than 140 for healthy adults and 130 for adults with kidney disease or diabetes.

Researchers created the SPRINT clinical trial to see if pushing blood pressure even lower would improve people’s health.

The researchers randomly divided the study participants into two groups, one where blood pressure was controlled to the current guidelines and another where systolic blood pressure was kept below 120.

Between 2010 and 2013, the standard group took an average of two different blood pressure medications to meet the recommended goal, while the intensive treatment group received an average of three medications to bring their blood pressure farther down.

The NIH expected to wrap up the study in 2017, but ended it early when officials concluded the results were too important to wait.

The investigators found that people in the intensive treatment group had a 27 percent reduced risk of death, and a 25 percent reduced risk of heart attack, stroke or heart disease, compared with people treated under existing guidelines.

Bress pointed out that the study did not include people with diabetes or who had suffered a stroke, and those people might also benefit from stricter blood pressure control.

The good news comes with one caveat. The participants in SPRINT had a significant increase in some serious side effects, including a two-thirds greater risk of slowed heart rate or abnormally low blood pressure and a one-third greater risk of fainting.

Doctors will have to weigh these potential side effects when treating high blood pressure in individual patients, said Dr. Paul Whelton, chair of the SPRINT steering committee and a clinical professor of epidemiology at Tulane University in New Orleans.

“You’re always looking at both sides of the ledger,” Whelton said. “There’s no treatment that doesn’t have an adverse effect. There are some signals, and we shouldn’t dismiss them, but when you’re looking at a 27 percent reduction in all-cause mortality, I think it’s a very powerful result.”

More information

Visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health for more on high blood pressure.

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Here’s Where You Can Buy a Couch Without Flame Retardants

Photo: Getty Images

Could your couch kill you? Not exactly…but toxic flame retardants in furniture do pose a risk to our health. Flame-retardant chemicals are added to the foam in chairs, sofas and other products to inhibit the spread of fire. The chemicals’ molecules migrate out of furniture foam and collect in our household dust, where they end up on our hands and from there, get into our mouths and bodies.

Studies have linked different flame-retardant chemicals to health problems including cancer, reduced fertility, preterm birth, and problems with children’s brain development. They’ve been found in breast milk and infant cord blood. And because they’re designed to be durable, they can persist in the environment.

And there’s a good chance your couch contains them. Back in the 1970s, the state of California introduced strict flammability standards for upholstered furniture sold there. To meet these standards, manufacturers added flame-retardant chemicals to foam used in furniture sold everywhere. (Because California is such a big market, furniture sold across the country is often manufactured to their standards.) In fact, a 2012 study analyzed couches bought in the U.S. between 1985 and 2010 and found that 85% of them contained flame-retardant chemicals.

RELATED: A Smart Guide to Scary Chemicals

How to spot safer furniture

Fortunately, it recently became a lot easier to buy furniture that doesn’t contain flame retardants. In early 2014, California revised its flammability standards, eliminating the need for flame-retardant chemicals. Although the new standards (known as Technical Bulletin 117-2013, or TB 117-2013) do not prohibit the use of these chemicals, many companies have announced that they are moving away from including the chemicals in their furniture.

California law now also requires upholstered furniture manufactured on or after January 1, 2015 to include a label that states whether or not flame-retardant chemicals were added to the product. In theory, this should make it easier to identify safer choices when you’re sofa shopping. However, you might still come across furniture made before this law went into effect.

So how do you determine if the couch or chair you’re thinking of buying has flame retardant chemicals? Start by checking the attached label, usually found under the furniture frame or cushions. Here are three kinds of labels you might see and what they mean, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council:

 

RELATED: 11 Things It’s Best to Buy Organic

Where to buy a non-toxic couch now

These five companies are selling flame retardant–free furniture right now:

Ashley Furniture
As of January 1, 2015, Ashley no longer uses flame retardant chemicals. In addition, all their upholstered furniture made after this date includes a label that complies with the requirements of California’s SB-1019 (meaning it will specify that it does not include flame-retardant chemicals).

Buy it: Wilcot sectional ($3,000; ashleyfurniturehomestore.com)

Crate and Barrel
As of 2013, the upholstery that Crate and Barrel sells (with the exception of a few product lines) does not include the addition of flame-retardant chemicals. Information is included on the law label of each piece of furniture, but Crate and Barrel also recommends that customers work with a furniture sales associate to identify flame retardant–free options.

Buy it: Rochelle Sofa ($2,199, CrateandBarrel.com)

Design Within Reach
DWR’s proprietary upholstery collections all became available without fire retardants as of Jan 1, 2015. If you have a question about a product made prior to that date, ask in-store or call 800-944-2233.

Buy it: Reid 86″ Sofa in Basket Weave Fabric ($4,150.00–$5,200.00, dwr.com)

La-Z-Boy
All La-Z-Boy products made since October 1, 2014, are free of chemical flame retardants. That includes products made to order after you place an order with a retailer. It’s possible that stock product made before the transition is still for sale, but you can ask your salesperson for the date of manufacture of any item.

Buy it: Allegra stationary chair ($749; la-z-boy.com) and matching ottoman ($429; la-z-boy.com)

Wal-Mart
According to a spokesperson, “Wal-Mart has transitioned out of chemical flame retardants and upholstered furniture is tested by third parties to ensure it meets safety standards for flammability.” Verified items manufactured after January 1, 2015 should be labeled so that you can tell furniture that contains the added chemicals from furniture that does not.

Buy it: Better Homes & Gardens Mission Wood Arm Futon ($218.99, walmart.com)

RELATED: 6 Ways to Sit Less Every Day

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