Public health takes aim at sugar and salt

In the last few years, evidence has mounted that too much sugar and salt—often invisibly insinuated into beverages, processed foods, and restaurant fare—harms health.

Research at the Harvard School of Public Health and elsewhere has tied sugary drinks to an epidemic of obesity in the United States. The average 12-ounce can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, and the average teenage boy consumes nearly three cans of sugary drinks a day. Is it any wonder that about two-thirds of Americans are now overweight or obese? read more

illustration: Sean McCabe

John Briscoe offers bold, unorthodox ideas for managing scarce water

What do people in developing nations understand about water that people in wealthy nations do not?

"They understand the absence of it," says John Briscoe, newly appointed Professor of the Practice of Environmental Health at HSPH. read more

Malignancies are on the rise in developing countries

While it's well known that cancer is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, what is less recognized and understood is the significant growth of cancer in the developing world. Only two decades ago, the percentage of new cases was similar for developed and developing regions. Today, 55 percent of new cases arise in developing nations—a figure that could reach 60 percent by 2020 and 70 percent by 2050. read more