How ‘Leave It to Beaver’ Star Jerry Mathers, 77, Reversed His Type 2 Diabetes and Lost 70 Lbs
The actor said he turned his health around after dealing with neuropathy
If you grew up in the 50s or 60s, you likely have fond memories of Jerry Mathers. The 77-year-old groundbreaking actor was only 8 years old when he joined the wildly popular show Leave It to Beaver. Over the years, Mathers has given fans an inside scoop into his time on the show, his childhood and even his health through his battle with type 2 diabetes. Here’s a look at Jerry Mathers’ health journey with type 2 diabetes, plus an update on how he’s doing today.
Mathers’ weight grain contributed to his diabetes
In a 2011 interview with Brain & Life, Mathers revealed that he had started facing health challenges after a shift in his career. Mathers starred in the Leave It to Beaver sequel called The New Leave It to Beaver, which aired until 1989. When the show ended, Mathers decided to explore careers outside of acting.
“I bought a few companies,” Mathers told Brain & Life. “One of which was a catering business. We were famous for a 60-foot-long dessert table.”
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Mathers’ catering business was a contributing factor in him gaining 70 pounds. With the weight gain, uncomfortable physical symptoms began. “I had the feeling of people sticking pins in my feet,” Mathers recalled. “I thought it was from being so overweight.”
A doctor who worked with Mathers’ father raised concerns about his weight gain and encouraged him to see a physician to make sure he was still in good health. Mathers eventually took the doctor up on her advice to get his health checked. “I thought I would go in there and everything would be fine,” Mathers said in the interview.
To Mathers’ surprise, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at that appointment and learned that what he was feeling in his feet was actually something called diabetic neuropathy.
The link between type 2 diabetes and neuropathy
“Type 2 diabetes is a condition where there is a decrease in the production of insulin by the cells of the pancreas and the body does not respond to what little insulin is made, causing high blood sugar,” explains Cynthia Odogwu, MD, family and lifestyle medicine physician. “Type 1 diabetes, on the other hand, is a condition where the body attacks the cells of the pancreas leading to no insulin production.”
While type 1 diabetes is a lifelong autoimmune disease that’s typically diagnosed in childhood, type 2 diabetes (T2D) may be triggered by lifestyle factors and if often diagnosed in adults over age 45. The good news with type 2 diabetes is that with the right treatment and lifestyle modifications, it’s possible for T2D to go into remission.
But how exactly does diabetes trigger the “pins and needles” feeling Mathers described? “The high blood sugar due to diabetes can cause damage to the nerves known as diabetic neuropathy,” says Dr. Odogwu. “The symptoms are pain, numbness and a sensation of pins and needles known as tingling, especially in the toes.”
“Based on current research, it is common for diabetic neuropathy to be the first sign that a person has diabetes,” says Dr. Odogwu. “Studies have even shown that diabetic neuropathy is present in people with prediabetes.” (Learn if neuropathy can be reversed here.)
How Mathers changed his life following his diabetes diagnosis
Mathers told Brain & Life that his physician gave him a wake-up call: Without making some important adjustments to his lifestyle, his life would be cut short.
“She asked me, ‘Would you like to see your kids get married, and one day hold your grandkids?'” said Mathers. “I said, ‘Of course, that’s every father’s dream.'”
He started walking
Mathers decided to turn his life around, starting with daily morning walks for five miles. “I see little animals like rabbits and coyotes,” said Mathers. “I go early in the morning, around 5:30 a.m., and I find it really clears my head.”
He began eating more whole foods
Mathers not only changed his exercise routine to get his type 2 diabetes under control, but also his diet. In the interview, Mathers said that for breakfast he prioritizes blood sugar-friendly foods like wheat germ, walnuts, flaxseed, raisins and oatmeal and will opt for salad at lunch.
“For dinner, I eat a [type of] protein, maybe a baked potato and a lot of vegetables. I buy frozen vegetables and put them in the microwave,” Mathers told Brain & Life of his time- and money-saving dinner hack.
He practiced portion control
The lifestyle changes didn’t stop there. “I went to Jenny Craig because I knew I needed professional help,” he continued. “And what they taught me was portion control—that for a person of my size and weight, I was eating too much. I needed to increase the amount of exercise I did and decrease my caloric intake.”
Mathers took what he learned at Jenny Craig and applied it to everyday life situations such as eating out. “Before, when I went out to a restaurant, I chose the king-sized portion,” Mathers told Brain & Life. “I thought, ‘Oh, I’m getting a great deal.’ But now I control my portion sizes.”
In the interview, Mathers shared that he had to unlearn messaging around food that he grew up with in order to lose weight and get his diabetes under control. “My generation was always taught to clean our plates, because our parents came out of the Great Depression,” said Mathers. “If you cleaned your plate, you got dessert. Well, that’s not the best way to teach kids.”
Mathers reversed his type 2 diabetes
After making lifestyle changes to improve his health, Mathers told Brain & Life he not only lost 70 pounds, but also lowered his A1C (a measure of average blood sugar over a period of time) to 6.1, was able to get off medication and no longer experiences diabetic neuropathy. (Learn what a normal A1C reading is by age here.)
“I will always have a propensity to diabetes,” said Mathers. “But before, I had very little time to live, and right now I am listed as pre-diabetic.”
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