Astronaut Sunita Williams has addressed growing concerns about her health and the circulating images of her weight loss, attributing them to “fluid shift.”
Williams (59 years old) sparked concern last week when she appeared in a NASA photo looking gaunt, with sunken cheeks and a skeletal frame, according to The New York Post.
Worrisome skinny image of Sunita Williams.
The astronaut attempted to alleviate concerns during an interview on the Clubhouse Kids Show on New England Sports Network on November 12, asserting that she is still healthy.
“You know, people in space, their heads look a bit larger because fluid shifts throughout the body. I think things change quite a bit; you may have heard of fluid shift“, she explained, referencing the phenomenon experienced by astronauts in space.
According to NASA, fluid shift has affected half of American astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), as bodily fluids move upward, increasing volume and pressure in the head.
Astronaut Sunita Williams shares about the circulating weight loss image.
Williams also refuted rumors that she had lost too much weight while in space, stating that she has actually gained muscle.
“My thighs are a little bigger, and my butt is a little bigger. We do a lot of squats,” she said.
However, a NASA official directly involved in Williams’ mission told The New York Post last week that the astronaut “has lost a significant amount of weight.”
“She has lost weight quickly, and now she is just skin and bones,” he said. “Therefore, the top priority is to help her stabilize her weight loss and hopefully reverse this condition.”
Sources indicate that Williams, who was expected to be in space for 8 days but is now stranded, has struggled to keep up with the high-calorie diet that astronauts must follow.
NASA doctors began working with Williams about a month ago to help her gain weight, even before the circulating images raised global concerns about her health, sources said.
NASA emphasized that there are no major health or weight concerns regarding Williams. The agency stated in a release, “All NASA astronauts on the ISS undergo regular medical evaluations. They have aerospace medicine specialists monitoring them and are in good health.”
Williams and her companion – astronaut Barry Wilmore – have been stranded on the ISS for over 5 months after their Boeing Starliner experienced technical difficulties. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is expected to bring them home, but it will not be able to return to the space station until February 2025.
