Tom Hanks, who has been struggling with high blood pressure since the age of 36 and told viewers on the "David Letterman Show" Monday night that he now has type 2 diabetes.
You've graduated," Hanks said his doctor told him. "You've got type 2 diabetes, young man."
Other celebrities like Sherri Shepherd, Halle Berry, Paula Deen, Patti LaBelle and Drew Carey have also opened up about their issues with diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, making up about 90 percent of diabetes cases, according to USA Today.
Robert Ratner, the chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association and a diabetologist, told USA Today he believes "that the growth of diabetes both in the United States and around the world is at epidemic proportions."
"The current environment that promotes a sedentary lifestyle and is rich in calorie-dense foods has truly conspired against us when it comes to diabetes," he said.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 26 million children and adults in the US have diabetes, while 18.8 million people are diagnosed, an additional 7 million are undiagnosed.
Like Hanks, who is now 57, type 2 diabetes can be caused by previous health ailments like Hanks' high blood pressure, but people who are obese, older or have a family history of diabetes have more risk of moving to type 2 diabetes.
