FARMINGTON – Barb MacGregor, a certified diabetes educator, will discuss “What You Need to Know about Pre-Diabetes,” next week.

The program, from 8 to 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 12, in Franklin Memorial Hospital’s Walden Room, is one of the Prescriptions for Health presentations. MacGregor is a nurse in the hospital’s outpatient clinic.

“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 said. “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 include information on risk factors, suggested lifestyle changes and screening guidelines, plus time for questions and answers.

The Prescriptions for Health presentations are free and open to the public. Registration for the presentation is requested since space is limited.

For more information or to register, call Jill Gray at 779-2555.