'It Hits You,' Zoe Saldana Bravely Revealed the Autoimmune Disease She Shares with Mom and Sisters

Zoe Saldana admits she’s now strictly on a gluten and dairy-free diet because of a lifelong condition she has that she shares with her mother and sister.

Zoe Saldana would strike you as someone gifted with outstanding genes but she does have a genetic flaw. According to the actress, she suffers a condition passed on by her mother to her and her sister.

Zoe sat down with Net-A-Porter in 2016 for an eye-opening look into her life and at one point revealed she had the disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. The condition which is classified as an autoimmune disorder causes the body to attack the thyroid gland.

According to BlackDoctor.org, the disease is characterized by fatigue, sudden weight gain, hoarse voice, depression, and a goiter, or inflammation of the thyroid gland. When this gets too big, surgery must take place.

"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.”

Zoe also explains a great way to fight the disease is to eat healthy.

“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.”

Eating clean for her means sticking to a gluten and dairy-free diet. Luckily, her husband, Marco Perego is supportive and adheres to her diet too.

For Zoe, the realization that she was no longer young and healthy blew her away.

“I had a great time in my twenties. 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.”

Zoe is not alone. Several celebrities have admitted to having Hashimoto’s disease and that includes “The Real” co-host Adrienne Houghton. Fending off pregnancy rumors, the talk show host revealed the reason she was putting on weight was due to the thyroid disease.

Adrienne opened up about her condition in a clip from backstage where she was enjoying pie with her co-host Tamera Mowry. “I’m not pregnant,” she clarified. “I have Hashimoto’s! It’s hypothyroidism. Yes, I have a fat neck! There is a reason!”

Adrienne has been unsuccessful so far in her efforts to get pregnant with her husband of more than two years, Israel Houghton. The rumors saying she is wasn’t helping her at all. She’s trying her best not to put pressure on herself because she believes the timing is not the same for everyone.