Tom Hanks has Type 2 diabetes, the award-winning actor revealed on "Late Night with David Letterman" Monday.
The "Captain Phillips" star opened his interview with David Letterman by sharing his story of a recent doctor's visit.
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Hanks said the doctor told him, "'You know those high blood sugar numbers you've been dealing with ever since you were 36? We'll, you've graduated. You've got Type 2 diabetes young man.'"
Hanks told Letterman that the doctor suggested that he lose weight if he wanted to get rid of the disease, but the Oscar-winning actor said he didn't think he could shed that amount of weight.
"My doctor said, 'If you can weigh as much as you did in high school, you will essentially be completely healthy and not have Type 2 diabetes,'" Hanks said. "Then I said to her, 'Well, I'm going to have Type 2 diabetes, because there's no way I can weigh as much as I did in high school.'"
When Letterman asked Hanks how much he weighed then, Hanks said, "I weighed 96 pounds in high school."
A person with diabetes does not have well-regulated blood sugar. The body either does not produce enough insulin for proper functioning or the cells do not react to the insulin. The disease is more common for people older than 40 who are overweight.
Type 2 diabetes could lead to blindness, nontraumatic amputations, and chronic kidney failure that requires dialysis if not treated. Those suffering from Type 2 diabetes can manage the disease with diet and excercise.
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