Non-communicable diseases (NCDS) - including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes - are responsible for over 70 % of all deaths each year, the vast majority in middle income countries. The drivers of these diseases include both improvements in survival from infectious diseases but also the negative consequences of globalization, including unhealthy diets and commodification of food, less physical activity, poor air quality, the tobacco epidemic, obesity surpassing undernutrition in almost all countries, and harmful use of alcohol. These books provide a good introduction to the topics.