LOS ANGELES, July 22 (UPI) — Zoe Saldana is opening up about her struggle with autoimmune disease.
The 38-year-old actress revealed she has Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in the July 21 issue of The Edit. Saldana’s mom, Asalia Nazario, and sisters, Cisley and Mariel Nazario, are also diagnosed with the condition.
“Your body doesn’t have the energy it needs to filter toxins, causing it to believe that it has an infection, so it’s always inflamed,” the star explained. “You create antibodies that attack your glands, so you have to eat clean.”
Saldana said she eats gluten- and dairy-free to help regulate her health. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can cause fatigue, joint and muscle pain and depression, among other symptoms.
“I had a great time in my twenties. Then your doctor says you’re losing calcium in your bones. What the [expletive] is that?!” the actress said of aging.
“I would hear those conversations with my mom and grandma, thinking I’d never get there. I’m going to live forever!” she admitted. “But all of a sudden it hits you. I [expletive] you not, it’s from night and day.”
Saldana will next appear in “Star Trek Beyond,” which opens in theaters Friday. The actress stunned at the film’s San Diego Comic-Con premiere Wednesday, where she and the cast and crew paid tribute to late star Anton Yelchin.
“As wonderful as this is to be here with all of you … there is something wrong tonight,” producer J.J. Abrams said at the event. “There is something missing tonight, there is someone missing tonight. Anton Yelchin should be here.”
Saldana is also slated for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” which released concept art with the new character Mantis last week.
