Get the lowdown on how stars like Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, and Patti LaBelle stay healthy and feel their best with diabetes.
The Oscar-winning actor announced he has type 2 diabetes when late-night host David Letterman commented on his newly slim figure in October 2013. "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.'" Hanks added that the condition is controllable, but he joked that he couldn't get back down to his high school weight of 96 pounds. "I was a very skinny boy!"
Actress Halle Berry has type 2 diabetes. Forget the gossip that Berry had "weaned" herself from insulin and switched from type 1 to type 2 diabetes -- that's not possible. Type 1 diabetes patients can't make insulin and require insulin injections for life. Some type 2 diabetes patients also need insulin shots, in addition to oral medications, to control blood sugar. But most people with type 2 diabetes can survive without insulin, unlike type 1 diabetes patients.
Actress Salma Hayek had gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that happens during pregnancy, while pregnant with her daughter, Valentina. Hayek has a family history of diabetes. Experts say that all women should be checked for gestational diabetes when they are 24-28 weeks pregnant; women at risk for type 2 diabetes are checked at their first prenatal visit. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy, but it raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or getting gestational diabetes again.
Celebrity chef Paula Deen announced in January 2012 that she has type 2 diabetes. Deen, well known for her buttery, sugary recipes, said that she learned she had the disease a few years earlier but didn't speak about it publicly because she wasn't ready. But, she says, she wants "to let the world know that [diabetes] is not a death sentence".
Singer Patti LaBelle has type 2 diabetes. On her web site, LaBelle recalls her diagnosis. "I passed out on stage ... and the doctor came back to me and said, 'Did you know you were type 2 diabetic?' and I said, 'I had no idea,'" states LaBelle, who has a family history of diabetes. LaBelle has since written healthy cookbooks, and she exercises regularly. She called herself a "divabetic" -- that's a mix of diabetic and diva -- in People in December 2008.
Actress Mary Tyler Moore has type 1 diabetes. Moore's diabetes was diagnosed at age 30, when she was hospitalized after suffering a miscarriage. A routine blood test done at the hospital showed a very high blood sugar level of 750. "They put me on insulin right away," Moore told CNN's Larry King in 2005. Now in her 70s, Moore has long been active in promoting diabetes research; she serves as the International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The Emmy-nominated actress publicly battled weight gain, which may have triggered her type 2 diabetes. With the help of doctors, a healthy diet, walking, and medication, she has lost weight. "There are so many things you have to watch," she told Diabetic Living. "It's a lot of searching and it can be tedious, but you just have to stick with it."
Singer Patti LaBelle has type 2 diabetes. On her web site, LaBelle recalls her diagnosis. "I passed out on stage ... and the doctor came back to me and said, 'Did you know you were type 2 diabetic?' and I said, 'I had no idea,'" states LaBelle, who has a family history of diabetes. LaBelle has since written healthy cookbooks, and she exercises regularly. She called herself a "divabetic" -- that's a mix of diabetic and diva -- in People in December 2008.
Celebrity chef Paula Deen announced in January 2012 that she has type 2 diabetes. Deen, well known for her buttery, sugary recipes, said that she learned she had the disease a few years earlier but didn't speak about it publicly because she wasn't ready. But, she says, she wants "to let the world know that [diabetes] is not a death sentence".
The comedian, actress, and co-host of "The View" said even after being diagnosed with diabetes, it took her a while to change her pasta-heavy diet. But eventually, she discovered vegetables without sauce, oatmeal without brown sugar, and cut out fried foods and white bread. A healthy diet combined with exercise helped her lose weight and feel a lot better.
Bret Michaels, singer for the band Poison, manages diabetes while living the life of a rock star and television personality. Michaels was diagnosed at age 6. As an adult he takes "four insulin injections and eight blood tests each day," according to his web site. 2010 brought a series of health problems for Michaels, including a brain hemorrhage, yet he finished and won TV's The Celebrity Apprentice and pledged his $250,000 award to the American Diabetes Association
Talk show host Larry King has type 2 diabetes. "It's definitely controllable," King has said on his show. Diabetes makes heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other serious health problems more likely. King has had bypass heart surgery . Diabetes wasn't his only risk factor: -- King had been a heavy smoker, and smoking hurts the heart. But by taking care of his diabetes (and quitting smoking), King helps his heart and the rest of his body. - WebMD
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