Morning Rounds: Obesity isn't only cause of diabetes
(CBS News) CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook and CBS News contributor Dr. Holly Phillips joined "CBS This Morning: Saturday" to discuss the major medical stories of the week.
Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks surprised a lot of folks when he shared some information about his health with David Letterman.
Tom Hanks has Type 2 diabetes: How to curb risk for the disease
"I went to the doctor, and he said, '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,'" said Hanks on the show.
The 57-year-old actor is known for taking on roles that require him to gain and lose weight. He packed on 30 pounds to play baseball coach Jimmy Dugan in 1992's "A League of Their Own."
Years later, he dropped from 225 pounds to 170 pounds for "Castaway," a dramatic transformation to portray a man stranded on a deserted island.
Hanks' diagnosis surprised many because of his slim stature as most people think obesity is the sole cause diabetes. However, other factors can impact getting the disease.
In fact, LaPook told the "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-hosts that 15-20 percent of people who get this disease are of normal weight.
"It's felt to be a combination of genetics, lifestyle, and then there's aging," said LaPook. "You don't have to be obese, aging itself can make the pancreas less able to produce insulin and that can block the body's ability to react to insulin."
However, LaPook explained that there are many different things people with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, like Hanks, can do to manage their health.
"In general, people with type 2 diabetes have to watch their blood sugar and then the usual things with lifestyle," said LaPook. "Weight, exercise and there's a little nuance here with diabetes, especially if you're taking insulin. You have to coordinate what you're eating with the medication you're taking because if you take the medicine, and you don't eat, your blood sugar could drop too low."
Ohio hospital can force Amish girl to resume chemotherapy, court rules
Also, a court in Ohio ruled that a 10-year-old Amish girl with an aggressive form of leukemia can be forced to resume chemotherapy. The girl's parents stopped her chemo in June because it made her sick. They've been giving her vitamins and other natural remedies, but doctors at Akron Children's Hospital said the girl will die without conventional medical treatment. The court agreed and will appoint a legal guardian to oversee her care.
Phillips told the "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-hosts that the doctors in this situation did exactly what they were supposed to do.
"The role of the doctor is to do exactly what they did, to get the courts involved and to get the child protection agencies involved," she said. "It's clear the doctors in this case really feel they can they save this little girl's life, not just extend it for a while or put her through unnecessary suffering."
For Dr. Jon LaPook and Dr. Holly Phillips' full roundup on this week's medical stories, watch the video in the player above.