They have prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. A special diabetes report in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource covers prediabetes and what can be done to prevent it from becoming type 2 diabetes, a potentially debilitating and life-threatening disease.

Overlooking prediabetes is easy, because often there are no symptoms. And blood tests for prediabetes aren't given routinely.

People age 45 and older who have never been tested for diabetes should discuss prediabetes screening with a physician. A blood glucose test will likely be recommended for people who have any of these risk factors:

A family history of diabetes A body mass index of 25 or higher Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or good) cholesterol and high triglycerides, another blood fat High blood pressure A history of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds Polycystic ovary syndrome An ethnicity that is disproportionately affected by diabetes, including African-American, American Indian, Hispanic-American/Latino and Asian-American/Pacific Islander.

For those who have prediabetes, making healthy lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes. One large research study found that diet and exercise that resulted in a 5 percent to 7 percent weight loss could lower the risk of diabetes in high-risk individuals by 58 percent. For example, someone who weighs 200 pounds could potentially prevent diabetes by losing just 10 to 15 pounds.

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Brits too are being warned that by 2050 the way things are going 60% of men, 50% of women will be obese or overweight and the most worrying trend in all three countries is the rise in childhood obesity.

Most of the recommendations tie in with long standing advice from health experts, governments and the World Health Organization, that diets based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains, that are low in red meats, dairy products and fats, offer protection against heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Interestingly a new survey by the American Institute for Cancer Research of 1,000 U.S. adults has also revealed some surprises and highlighted a few popular misconceptions.

Many were unaware of the link between cured and processed meats and cancer, only 49% knew that diets low in fruits and vegetables raised the risk of cancer and only 46% knew that obesity was a well-documented risk.

But 71% thought that pesticide residue on produce was a cause (that has never been shown), 56% thought stress causes cancer (not proven) and 49% believed hormones in beef cause cancer.

The experts say people appear to prefer to blame cancer on factors over which they have no control, and often on things for which no proven links to the disease exists.

The report was released by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, and represents five years of study by nine teams of scientists.