Does Simone Biles have Diabetes? All about the truth behind gymnast's health condition

Simone Biles was seen in an advertisement for the GLP-1 diabetes drug Mounjaro alongside her mother, Nellie Biles. Eli Lilly, which is an American pharmaceutical company, partnered with the Olympic champion and her mother ahead of the Paris Olympics.

The advertisement started with Biles' appearance, gearing up to execute a gymnastic routine. The background of the ad featured the voiceover of her mother, who narrated, "my daughter works hard, and so do people with type 2 diabetes." Following this, the camera focused on Nellie, who explained how diabetes could be affected by Mounjaro.

Further, the ad featured a new voiceover explaining the benefits of Mounjaro while showing Biles' floor routine. It concluded with the gymnast engaging with her audience and delivering the line, "You can do diabetes differently with Mounjaro." Following this, speculations started about Biles suffering from Type 2 diabetes, but notably, it's her mother who has been diagnosed with the disease.

In an interview with The Healthy.com, Nellie Biles opened up about her diagnosis, stating that it was a defining moment for her.

"Well, I must say that I received my type 2 diabetes diagnosis in my early fifties—so when I think back to that time, that definitely was a defining moment for me. In a way I was not surprised, simply because I do have family members that also have type 2 diabetes."

Simone Biles' mother, Nellie Biles, made her feelings known about being inspired by the gymnast's healthy lifestyle

In the aforementioned interview with The Healthy, Simone Biles' mother, Nellie Biles, opened up about how she took inspiration from her daughter's healthy habits and her consistency to keep herself fit. Commending the Olympic champion's determination to stay healthy, she said:

"I will say that what I admire is the fact Simone is consistent and she’s dedicated to her sport. So when I’m watching her, I can see that she is achieving her goal with that dedication and with that consistency," said Simone Biles' mother.

Opening up about how she tried to maintain her A1C level, she added:

“So, I sort of try to mirror that with what I do in terms of my lifestyle to make sure that I myself am also consistent - with my eating habits and my exercise, with making sure that I follow up and consult with my physician to make sure that I again achieve my goals, which would be to maintain my A1C level.”

Simone Biles and her sister Adria were adopted by their maternal grandparents, Ronald and Nellie Biles, as their biological mother, Shanon Biles, was unable to care for them.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam