Apple CEO Blames 'Hormone Imbalance' for Weight Loss

Jan. 5, 2009— -- Apple Inc. founder and chief executive Steve Jobs confronted widespread speculation about his apparent weight loss in a statement issued today that attributed his gaunt appearance to an easily treated hormone imbalance.

The announcement follows a flurry of speculation in 2008 about the 53-year-old CEO's weight loss, including rumors of a worsening pancreatic condition -- rumors Jobs said are unfounded.

Jobs' assertion is buoyed by the fact that the pancreatic condition he survived -- called a neuroendocrine tumor, or NET -- is much less deadly than the more common form of pancreatic cancer that took the lives of "Last Lecture" professor Randy Pausch and New York Times reporter Dith Pran, and which actor Patrick Swayze now faces.

Only about 2,000 to 3,000 neuroendocrine tumor cases are diagnosed in the United States each year, and up to half of those with malignant forms of these tumors are still alive after five years, according to statistics from the National Cancer Institute. When those with nonmalignant forms of these tumors are included, the survival rate is even higher.

Conversely, doctors estimate that about 30,000 people were diagnosed with the deadlier form of pancreatic cancer this year, which has a five-year survival rate of about 5 percent.

"My decision to have [Apple marketing chief] Phil Schiller deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed," Jobs noted in his statement. "Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause -- a hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy."

Jobs further noted in his letter that the remedy for the problem is "relatively simple and straightforward," and that he has already begun treatment to correct the condition.

An e-mailed message to an Apple spokesperson for further comment was not immediately returned. Following Jobs' announcement, Apple Inc. released a statement indicating that Jobs will continue to hold the CEO post for the company.