FARMINGTON – Barb MacGregor, a certified diabetes educator and nurse at Franklin Memorial Hospital’s Outpatient Clinic, will speak on “pre-diabetes” Friday, Feb. 13. The presentation is free and open to the public.

What is pre-diabetes? Why is its incidence increasing? When should you ask your doctor for screening? What lifestyle changes can you make to stop pre-diabetes in it tracks?

These questions and more will be answered from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Walden Room and will include light refreshments.

“Nearly 16 million Americans have pre-diabetes, and about one third of those individuals are not even aware that they have it,” MacGregor said. “Pre-diabetes, the newest name for impaired glucose tolerance, is on the rise due in part to bigger waistlines and a sedentary lifestyle.

“Pre-diabetes isn’t new,” she added. “In simple terms it just means glucose levels higher than normal, but not high enough to be diabetes. It sounds an alarm to make changes in diet and exercise to help the body use insulin and process glucose more efficiently so it doesn’t turn into full-blown diabetes.”

The presentation will feature information on a variety of pre-diabetes topics including risk factors, suggested lifestyle changes, screening guidelines, and more. There will be ample time for questions and answers.

The presentation is part of the hospital’s community health information series, Prescriptions for Health, which is free and open to the public. Registration is required. For more information or to register, phone Jill Gray at 779-2555.