Tom Hanks and the chronic illness caused by junk food

Eleven years ago, at the age of 57, actor and two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks revealed that he suffers from type 2 diabetes, and confessed that it was all due to ignoring medical advice and choosing a lifestyle for which he is now paying the consequences.

"I am part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing at the party and now we find ourselves with a disease," revealed the actor who voices Woody in the "Toy Story" saga.

"I was overweight, you guys have seen me in movies and you know what I was like," Hanks said. "I was a complete idiot."

In an interview on the "Late Show" with David Letterman, Hanks confessed the type of disease he suffers from, and said that it was all a consequence of his lifestyle, especially his diet.

"I thought I could avoid it by taking the bread off my cheeseburgers; well, it takes a little more than that," he laughed.

Tom Hanks' physical changes for his films

Hanks explained how for some films such as "A League of Their Own", alongside Geena Davis and Madonna, he had to gain 14 kilos to play his role as manager Jimmy Dugan.

A year later, he had to lose weight for the role that gave him his first Oscar in "Philadelphia", and years later he lost up to 25 kilos for his performance in "Cast Away".

"The gaining and the losing of weight may have had something to do with it because you eat so much junk food and you don't take any exercise when you're heavy," Hanks explained.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose or sugar levels are too high.

Glucose is the main source of energy, and it comes from the food you eat. A hormone called insulin helps glucose enter cells to provide them with energy.

A person with diabetes will have a body that does not produce enough insulin or does not use it well. Then, glucose stays in the blood and does not enter the cells enough.

Over time, having too much glucose in the blood can cause health problems. However, steps can be taken to control diabetes and try to prevent these health problems.