- Octavia Spencer shares the subtle symptom that signaled she had type 2 diabetes.
- The 55-year-old opens up about managing two chronic illnesses.
- She details the key takeaway from her campaign with Sofia Vergara, Detect the SOS.
Octavia Spencer is busy. The Academy Award–winning actor, producer, and author has a plethora of projects to her name, juggling each while managing type 2 diabetes. In fact, it was actually an acting job that led to her diagnosis. Here, the 55-year-old tells Prevention about the subtle symptom she initially missed—and what she wants people with the condition to know about protecting their health.
On her type 2 diabetes diagnosis
“It felt very symptom-free,” she recalls. In fact, she only found out when she did because of an acting gig.
“For any acting job, you have to have a physical. It was just a routine physical…that I discovered that my blood sugars were high,” she explains. “Subsequently, we tied the fact that I was constantly thirsty [to diabetes]. But you can think you’re constantly thirsty if you’re not drinking a lot of water.”
Looking back, she realizes the sign was there—even if it was easy to dismiss. “I didn’t really have symptoms, but in hindsight I did.”
On managing multiple chronic illnesses
Spencer now manages both type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure—two conditions that often go hand in hand.
“It’s personal to me because I have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, and what I’ve learned as I’m aging—to control both—it can be difficult,” she says. “It becomes whack-a-mole.”
To stay on top of her health, she uses tools like a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and prioritizes daily movement.
Why she’s speaking out about kidney health
Because diabetes and high blood pressure may raise the risk of kidney disease, Spencer says education and early detection are critical. That’s what led her to partner with the Detect the SOS campaign alongside Sofia Vergara.
“It’s personal to me,” she says. “I felt that I wanted to be a part of this public health mission to educate people who have these diseases; [tell them] that their bodies could be sending out an SOS, essentially, through the kidneys.”
One simple test may help detect early signs of kidney damage: the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio test, known as a UACR.
“The way to combat that is to take a simple urine test called a uACR, and it’s easy and painless,” she explains. “If I’m telling you it’s easy and painless—and if I’m telling you that I suffer from those two illnesses as well—I think it’s easier for people to see themselves in that space.”
How her approach to health has evolved
Spencer says her approach to managing her health has changed as she’s gotten older.
“What was good for me in managing it 10 years ago doesn’t necessarily work as I’m aging,” she says. “There are different things that we have to do.”
For her, that now includes strength training alongside cardio—especially as she navigates menopause.
“That’s why it’s so important for people to talk to their doctors,” she adds. “I am now in the menopausal age, and there are things that I need to do besides raising my heart rate. I have to do strength training.”
Ultimately, she encourages others managing chronic conditions to stay proactive and work with their healthcare provider.
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