Zoe Saldana reveals what really ‘hits you’ about Hashimoto’s disease

Zoe Saldana, along with her sisters and mother, has a thyroid disorder, Hashimoto’s disease

By Sadaf Naushad
|
February 16, 2026
Zoe Saldana reveals what really ‘hits you’ about Hashimoto’s disease

Zoe Saldana opened up about how it was like being diagnosed and living with Hashimoto’s disease.

"I had a great time in my twenties," Saldana told Porter magazine in July 2016.

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Also called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Zoe has the disorder along with her sisters as well as mother. “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.”

“You create antibodies that attack your glands, so you have to eat clean,” she explained.

It’s tough for foodies like Saldana but she has opted for a gluten- and dairy-free diet. “I had a great time in my twenties,” says the actress.

The Avatar actress continued, “Then your doctor says you’re losing calcium in your bones. What the f**k is that?! I would hear those conversations with my mom and grandma, thinking I’d never get there. I’m going to live forever! But all of a sudden it hits you; it’s from night to day.”

“I learned early on that in order for me to be OK, I need to surround myself with better people than me,” she said.

Further explaining her stance, she added, “I’m not being hard on myself, I’m being honest with myself. I have the tendency to get lost in whatever environment I create for myself. And I’m an artist; I’m prone to vanity. So I look to better people than me – my husband, my sisters, my parents and my friends.”

“And I’m like, as long as I’m surrounded by you people, every time I want to go shallow, you guys always remind me that it’s not about me,” Zoe Saldana concluded.

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