Disease Is Also Sell

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As "part of a cultural shift that increasingly sees health problems as lifestyles rather than diseases," food marketers are targeting the chronically ill "as the new much-reach demographic." Groceries have "heart healthy" sections because there are more than 70 million U.S. residents with heart problems, representing "$71 billion in annual buying power." The nation's 21 million diabetics "command about $14 billion" and "about two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese," writes the Associated Press. The Chicago marketing research firm IRI Healthcare recently reported on "the disease-marketing trend." IRI's Bob Doyle says the impact is even wider: "If Mom comes down with something, the entire household's diet changes."