Tom Hanks Reveals Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes

Actor Tom Hanks has recently revealed to the public that several years ago, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and manages the condition through diet and exercise. Hanks, 57, made the surprise revelation on a visit to David Letterman's talk show on Oct. 7^th.

"I went to the doctors and they said, 'You know those high blood-sugar numbers you've been living with since you were 36? Well, you've graduated! You've got type 2 diabetes, young man,' " Hanks said, according to a video from the show.

Hanks said that his doctors recommend that his condition can be managed via diet and exercise. Letterman also revealed that he suffers from high blood sugar, which he controls through a mostly vegetarian diet at age 66.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, with millions of Americans across the country afflicted by the health issue. The problem prevents the body from producing enough insulin, which can lead to many health complications. 

Some medical experts believe that Hanks' frequent weight fluctuations over the years for various movie roles may be to blame for his recent diagnosis.

"In dramatic weight gain and weight loss, the equilibrium of the body is just completely off," Dr. Holly Phillips said, via CBS News. "He'll have to watch what he eats very closely. He'll need to exercise regularly, but there's no reason he can't live a perfectly normal life."

The actor has been known to lose and gain dramatic amounts of weight for several roles. For instance, he gained 30 pounds for his role as a baseball coach in "A League of Their Own." Yet he lost 30 pounds to play an AIDS patient in "Philadelphia"--a performance that won him an Oscar in the process. And seven years later he dropped a whopping 55 pounds for his role in "Cast Away" which scored him a nomination for an Academy Award.

"He'll have to watch what he eats very closely, he'll need to exercise regularly but there's no reason he can't live a perfectly normal life,"Dr. Phillips said. "In dramatic weight gain and dramatic weight loss, the equilibrium of the body is just completely off. So that might predispose him to developing type 2 diabetes later."

What do you think?