(Note: this news was originally published on November 2017)

The American actor has blamed exclusively himself for having the diabetes illness.

The Oscar winner described himself “idiot” for his food habits, which followed the American diet.

In an interview with Radio Times, Hanks said: “I’m part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now finds ourselves with a malady.”

To The Independent, the star was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in 2013.

Generally speaking, type 1 diabetes is genetic and appears early at a young age, while type 2 – which is more common – is often related to food habits and shows up later, at an older age. The latter – if not properly taken care of- can be a cause of multiple diseases such as kidneys failure, blindness, and CVDs (cardiovascular diseases).

According to the well-known Hollywood actor, roles that acquired fluctuating weight like the ones he played in Castaway and Philadelphia are likely to be related to the diagnosis.

He added “I was heavy. You’ve seen me in movies, you know what I looked like. I was a total idiot.”

With David Letterman, on the “Late Show”, the veteran actor said – referring to his doctor’s words – “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 revealed that he has tried to be healthier, but it was of no avail.

“I thought I could avoid it by removing the buns from my cheeseburgers. Well, it takes a little bit more than that,” explained he.

Good news is that Hanks can get better if he reaches a target wight. “My doctor says if I can hit a target weight, I will not have type 2 diabetes anymore,” he said.

However, the required weight according to Tom is something that he was incapable to reach. With a laugh, He told Letterman:

“Well, I’m going to have type 2 diabetes. Because there is no way I can weigh as much as I did in high school.”

By the way, his high school weight was 96 pounds.