Paula Deen expected to reveal she has Type 2 diabetes

Paula Deen promotes the new book "Paula's Southern Cooking Bible" on Oct. 12, 2011, in Ridgewood, N.J.

/ Getty

(CBS) Editor's note: A Novartis rep told CBSNews.com on Friday afternoon that it hasn't signed a deal with Paula Deen.

All of the high-calorie, butter-intensive, fatty foods Paula Deen has whipped up over the years may have finally caught up with her.

The 64-year-old chef is expected to announce not only that she has Type 2 diabetes, but also that she inked a multimillion dollar deal to become the new face of a Novartis drug used to help treat the disease, reports The Daily.

Read more: Novartis rep: There's no deal with Paula Deen

Last spring, the National Enquirer reported that Deen had been diagnosed with the diabetes often linked to obesity.

Now a source tells The Daily, "She's going to have to start cooking healthier recipes. She can't keep pushing mac and cheese and deep-fried Twinkies when she is hawking a diabetes drug."

Insiders say the Georgia native has started changing her cooking approach and will soon make healthier options available at her Savannah, Ga., restaurant, The Lady & Sons.

Her son, Bobby Deen, has already jumped on the healthier food bandwagon. Earlier this month, he launched the series, "Not My Mama's Meals," on the Cooking Channel, where he creates less fatty versions of his mother's old-fashioned Southern recipes.

[notreich]

Paula Deen talked about bringing joy into our "lahves." Looks like she helped bring diabetes into her lahve. Deep-fried sticks of butter rule though.

[noracn]

Deep-fired sticks can't cause diabetes. Food itself is not wrong, the problem is how you take it. If you take too much, it will cause some problem. Does everyone take deep-fried food all get diabetes? Everything has a quantity. Maybe you can check it out at WebMD or the Mayo Clinic.

[notreich]

noracn ... Are you trying to ridicule and imply that WebMD and the Mayo Clinic are just some crazy doctors that don't really know this? Actually every every doctor and every scientist and researcher says that obesity can lead to the onset of diabetes. And fattening food can make you fat. It's pretty simple.

[noracn]

Actually, diabetes is not caused by any kind of food, it should be caused by person's life style, and make body unbalance. Body's blood sugar dosen't go to the liver while to the blood. It causes person's high blood sugar. After a long time, it will destroy person's immune system, and further causes complication. God create our life and earth's substance that make us being alive. nothing is wrong, so the wrong is our humanity's behalves, which make us get ill.So we must use natual ways to correct our situation, this natual ways are natual herbs and natual lifestyle, and not the chemical drugs and destroy our bodies. that is totally wrong. Again, I can help you if you has got Type-2 diabetes. connect with me anytime.

[notreich]

"Actually, diabetes is not caused by any kind of food," you say? Well, Googling about, I see that WebMD and the Mayo Clinic, among others, disagree with you. Who to believe, who to believe?

[DrNoOSA]

Paula should test for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a major cause of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Treatment with CPAP has reversed some recent onset cases, but more often makes the treatment of T2D more successful.

[Sir_Andrew_Bruskin]

Paula Deen: "I have a secret, I'm morbidly obese. Morbid obesity isn't a death sentence!"

Why should she be tested for sleep apnea? Because she's incredibly fAT!?

Why doesn't Deen do what most fat celebrities do; get a tattoo, grow big hair, wear high heels and hats? Or lipo suction.

Deen claims, "I always advocate moderation."

I hate to tell you this Paula: imbalance in moderation IS STILL IMBALANCED! Now you're permanantly imbalanced. And, you expect to be considered an authority on the subject?

It's time we stopped beating around the big, fat bush here people. Don't listen to fat peoples' opinion on the subject of health.

[H4s]

Big surprise, a fat southern american woman has diabetes. Thanks for confirming the suspicion. How could these people live with themselves, looking like that? Ugh. american will need to change the following -- 'Land of the fat, home of the sick.'

[Paul_M_Price]

The 70 year old diabetic finds your comment offensive. I take several medications, work out regularly, have lost weight on a consistent basis, and still suffer from the disease. Walk a mile in my shoes, your ignorant bore.

[bundye]

Don't trip, Paula. I do also, and you can manage it, and it won't hurt!

[willwillyell]

I love paula! Check out her website, its my favorite!

http://379a23ea.linkbucks.com

[arm2u]

Ok, I don't know where the rest of you live but I live in America, the land of the free. I have the freedom to choose the tv channel I watch, the food I eat and how I want to live my life. If I want to eat fried butter sticks, it's my choice. Paula Deen hasn't killed anyone. So many want to critize, spend your time doing something positive. Do you pay taxes? Are you then contributing to the sins of politicians who lie, cheat and steal? Come on! The lady is working, cooking, doing what she knows to support her family and was lucky enough to hit the big time. She isn't endorsing tobacco and alcohol, what about the entertainers and sports figures that do? Do you ever watch a game or a movie? Sip wine maybe? Everything you eat, wear or buy has compromised something somewhere. She promotes food and family. She is now sick, as many are that DONT DESERVE IT. Sickness and disease shouldn't be wished on anyone. Now what does that make you finger-pointers...better just because you say so? Ha - NOT

[ckshoemaker]

She promotes foods that were going to kill her. Case closed and you cannot draw conclusions and paralells like you did. Apples and oranges. I

If she were on TV for an hour every week promoting drinking and smoking, she would be under criticism. Why isn't she for promoting foods that arguably do more harm to our society???

[erasmus111]

"Paula Deen hasn't killed anyone."

Are you sure about that? I'm surprised that anyone eating that food is still alive.

You can say that she hasn't killed anyone, but if she wasn't putting out her recipes, people wouldn't be cooking with them. If people hadn't seen them to begin with, then maybe they never would have started eating that way. You just never know. She may have lead to someones death.

Doesn't she have a restaurant or something? If she does, then she could definitely have gotten some people addicted to that outrageously fattening food. I mean her food probably has triple the fat of any fast food place. : )

[Nate650]

The brain is composed of about 70% fat, yet medical "professionals" and the media are still blaming dietary fat for health woes? Our bodies need fat!

[ckshoemaker]

Of course our bodies do but not the types of fat and the quantities of fat Paula endorsed. Plus, the obesity she promoted along with the obvious sedentary lifestyle is pushing death on the lazy and ignorant/oblivious.

[notreich]

And at the same time it's 70% water. Hmmm

[Nate650]

Sure people are going to criticize this as being a "random blog post," but it sure makes sense.

http://blogs.experiencelifemag.com/signs-of-life/2009/01/why-you-should-avoid-fat-free-foods.html

[bolteagle]

I sure hope that Paula Dean is ok dear it is a life changing time in your life It is what you eat and how much People make choses to take The meds and what they eat and exercises. I have have type 2 diabetes. Am Type 1 and take shot i did not get it under control.

[bolteagle]

you know what Paula is just cooking like all te woman from the south it is how they eat get off her back no one make you eat her cooking . Paula Dean hang in girl love you .