Celebrities With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: How Do They Manage?

Highlights

Halle Berry, the 51-old Hollywood star was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 20 years ago and manages it with regular exercise and a ketogenic diet.
Thomas Hanks //blames his diet and his weight for his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2013.
Wasim Akram, the famous Pakistani cricketer claims that stress could be the reason behind his diagnosis as he was physically fit.

November 14 is observed as the World Diabetes Day to raise awareness about the disease and to help tackle it.

This year’s theme focuses on ‘Women in Diabetes’. Every 1 in 10 women around the world is living with diabetes and it is the leading cause of death among women.

Diabetes Diet Plan
Diet plays a significant role in controlling diabetes. Most cases of diabetes are preventable with healthy lifestyle changes.

‘Diet pattern that suits your body, a regular workout routine and yoga are the key steps that celebrities have adopted to keep their blood glucose levels under control.’

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Even our favorite celebrities are affected by the chronic condition and have not let control it. Reading about their experiences can be a motivation to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Halle Berry

The 2002 Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama Monster’s Ball was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1989. “Diabetes caught me completely off guard,” she said in an interview in 2010.

Diabetes - Oral Hypoglycemic Agents and Glycemic Control
Glycemic control in type 2 diabetes is achieved with oral diabetic medications. Combination drugs and insulin therapy is sometimes required.

“I fell ill – dramatically – when I was on the TV show, ‘Living Dolls’, in 1989. I felt I needed energy but I didn’t even have a minute to pop out and get a chocolate bar. I didn’t really know what was wrong. None of my family had suffered from the illness and although I was slightly overweight in school, I thought I was pretty healthy.”

Halle has been living on a ketogenic diet, which involves eliminating sugar and most carbohydrates. “The idea of it is you train your body to burn healthy fats and so I eat healthy fats all day long,” the 51-year-old once told US talk show.

Diabetes Essentials: Types, Complications, Management & Treatment
Diabetes is a metabolic disease caused by insulin deficiency that leads to high blood sugar levels and several associated complications if left untreated.

Tom Hanks

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Splash, Big, Turner & Hooch, A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle.

Diabetes and Hypertension: Preventing a Toxic Combination
Diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) are significant health problems worldwide, but like cardiac disease and fatty liver disease, people of Indian origin are disproportionately affected.

According to Tom Hanks, he blames his diet and his weight for his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2013. “I’m part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now finds ourselves with a malady,” Tom said in an interview with the Radio Times.

“I was heavy. You’ve seen me in movies, you know what I looked like. I was a total idiot. I thought I could avoid it by removing the buns from my cheeseburgers. Well, it takes a little bit more than that.”

Sonam Kapoor

Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor reveals she is borderline Type 2 though she is not a diabetic.

“I have insulin resistance because I am suffering from PCOD [polycystic ovary disorder]. So, I’m on the borderline and am prone to develop diabetes. I have been on medication for the past six years to avert the condition.”

The 32-year-old says that she avoids consuming excessive sugar or putting on weight and chooses to eat healthy food and workout regularly.

Wasim Akram

The former Pakistani cricketer was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 30. In an interview, he was quoted saying, “I remember what a shock it was because I was a healthy sportsman with no history of diabetes in my family, so I didn’t expect it at all. It seemed strange that it happened to me when I was 30, but it was a very stressful time and doctors said that can trigger it.” But that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the greatest cricketers.

Jay Cutler

Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 25. Now 34, the American football player manages his symptoms with special training and the help of his wife, Kristin Cavallari.

Recalling the time he had lost more than 30 pounds and was experiencing extreme fatigue, Jay says: “I was relieved when we figured out what it was and that it was treatable. Now I can play at 100 percent of my ability.”

Nick Jonas

US singer Nick Jonas was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 22.

He says: “Nearly ten years ago my life changed dramatically when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Since then, I learned how to manage and live well with this disease and made it my mission to speak openly about it with the hope of helping others deal with the struggles of managing diabetes in their own life.

He has started BEYOND TYPE 1, an NGO that focuses on raising funds for research to find a cure. “I am confident we will get there someday, but it will take a lot of people doing what they can to help.”

He also points out that awareness about the disease is the need of the hour. “We have a long way to go in the education of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and in that lack of knowledge is the even harsher reality that we are still very far from a cure.”

Source-Medindia