According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.6 million people between the ages of 20 and 65 (Hanks is 57) are living with diabetes. In addition, an estimated 79 million have pre-diabetes, or high blood sugar. Hanks hasn’t spoken about diabetes publicly since his appearance on Letterman, but here’s what he said on the show: “I went to the doctor and he said ,‘You know those high blood sugar numbers you’ve been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you’ve graduated. You’ve got type 2 diabetes, young man.’” He didn’t mention what led to his diagnosis, or his struggle with high blood sugar for so long, although he said his doctor told him he could reverse the condition if he got down to his high school weight. The problem with that, said Hanks, is that he weighed just 96 pounds in high school—less than he weighed in his famously gaunt role as stranded Chuck Noland in “Castaway.” In other words, Hanks said, he’ll just have to learn to live with diabetes. Leann Olansky, MD, an endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic, says type 2 diabetes is highly controllable, but the degree of control depends upon the reason for the diagnosis. “We think you can avoid getting type 2 diabetes, but it depends upon whether it’s a genetic basis or is a result of your lifestyle,” says Dr. Olansky. “It’s harder to avoid if you have first-degree family members that have it, but even if you have the genes, a healthy lifestyle can go a long way toward postponing it, maybe for a lifetime.” Although Dr. Olansky has not personally examined Hanks, she says when she saw him on television not too long ago he did seem to be a bit thicker through the middle than perhaps was ideal. “A healthy waist circumference is no more than 36 inches in a woman and 42 inches in a man,” says Dr. Olansky. “Anything more puts you at higher risk for insulin resistance and diabetes.” As for reversing the condition, Olansky says aggressive exercise and dieting at the time of diagnosis goes a long way toward helping it go into remission. That would include a diet high in fruits and vegetable and lean protein sources, low in saturated fats and carbs. There are also medications that can help control blood sugar. In Hanks’s case, in spite of his jokes about never weighing 96 pounds again, which would not be a healthy weight for him now anyway, he is obviously taking his condition seriously. After Letterman commented on his notably thinner, fitter frame, saying Hanks “looks like a kid,” Hanks replied that he’s “maintaining the temple.” Then Letterman revealed that he, too, struggles with high blood sugar and is on a special diet as a result. Taking control of your health is definitely the role of a lifetime, and these two are playing it like the pros—and you can too. More from Prevention: The Food That Lowers Your Diabetes Risk 26%
