Obesity rates across the nation continued to grow last year, according to a new report that ranked   Illinois the 26th most obese state in the nation.

Gay men and lesbian women are more likely to smoke than heterosexuals, and bisexuals smoke more than everybody, according to a report released this afternoon by the American Lung Association.

The report, the lung association’s latest look at health disparities, found:

Some people might look at a picture of a vampire and think: blood.

Nancy Greenwalt, executive director of SmileHealthy, sees teeth.

So SmileHealthy, a Champaign County-based dental program for under-served kids, is making vampires the centerpiece of its latest oral health education campaign in hope of getting teens' attention.

I ate dinner at a Panera Bread restaurant in Champaign the other night, and was a little stunned when I saw — posted right there on the menu board over the counter — how many calories there are in the sandwich I was ordering.

A new 10 percent federal tax on indoor tanning goes into  effect July 1.

According to the IRS, tanning businesses are required to collect the tax from their customers and turn it over to the government on a quarterly basis.

From the July print issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics:

How much influence does Dora the Explorer and other popular cartoon characters have on what kids eat? Maybe more than we think.

SPRINGFIELD —  Several food handlers at Subway restaurants in Illinois have tested positive for Salmonella sickness, Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said this afternoon.

The FDA is warning anyone using Magic Power Coffee, an instant coffee product marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, to stop using it immediately.

Today's update from the Illinois Department of Public Health on Salmonella outbreak linked to  Subway restaurants:

Confirmed cases of Salmonella serotype Hvittingfoss – 90.

Age range of confirmed cases: 2 to 79.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to parents who give their infants liquid Vitamin D supplements: Beware of the droppers that come with the supplements. Some droppers could allow for over-dosing, which can be harmful to infants.