The introduction is also posted on Spotify as a podcast by “Gerry at The Health Equation”
You can search Spotify for “Gerry at The Health Equation”
Or use the link below
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gerrygaj
Below is the specific link
Gerry Gajadharsingh writes:
“Recent research suggests that acetaminophen (paracetamol) use during pregnancy may be linked to a higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children, including autism and ADHD. The study was led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and also included co-authors from other institutions.
The researchers analysed results from 46 previous studies worldwide that investigated the potential link between prenatal acetaminophen use and subsequent NDDs in children. The researchers used the Navigation Guide Systematic Review methodology—a gold-standard framework for synthesizing and evaluating environmental health data—which enabled them to conduct a rigorous, comprehensive analysis that supported evidence of an association between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and increased incidence of NDDs.
Generally, pregnant women are advised to avoid most medications, medical interventions, and even certain diagnostic tests such as X-rays, unless the clinical need clearly outweighs the potential risks. This caution is partly due to the ethical challenges of running randomized clinical trials on pregnant women, which makes it extremely difficult to know with certainty whether a drug or intervention carries risks for mother and child.
The recent announcement by President Trump in the United States about a potential link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and increased risk of autism and ADHD has sparked controversy. Much of the media reaction has been critical—not necessarily of the research itself, but seemingly of the messenger.
Listening to journalists on LBC, I noticed that many dismissed Trump’s comments as unfounded, assuming he was making claims without evidence. However, this piqued my interest, and I went on to read the research published in August 2025, led by senior author Andrea Baccarelli, Dean of the Faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Environmental Health. Given the calibre of the research, I would have thought the findings at least warranted open discussion rather than outright dismissal simply because of who delivered the message.
Interestingly, Ali Miraj, another LBC presenter, echoed my thoughts: “don’t dismiss the message outright—it does deserve some discussion.”
The challenge with research has always been this: is the factor in question causal, or merely associated? Association versus causality is at the heart of scientific debate. For almost every position, you can find studies supporting it and others disputing it—each with seemingly valid reasoning. This is why we say, “science is not settled.”
From my experience in clinical medicine, very few health conditions are caused by a single factor. Most are multifactorial, and I strongly suspect neurodevelopmental disorders are no exception.
It is worth noting that Trump is not banning paracetamol use in pregnancy. Rather, his message may have been clumsily communicated, perhaps based on this Harvard research. Unfortunately, the delivery has distracted from the substance, and it also overlaps with another highly charged debate: vaccination. The question of whether over-vaccination in children may contribute to rising rates of neurodevelopmental disorders (amongst other conditions) is one I’ve previously explored.
Are we having too many vaccines, especially in our children?
Life is rarely binary. It is not simply “take paracetamol or don’t,” “vaccinate or don’t.” Science and medicine are nuanced, and just because a viewpoint challenges orthodox thinking does not automatically make it wrong.
It is common to think that illnesses just arrive, there is no cause and sometimes it’s just bad luck. Medicine has sometimes reinforced this particular belief in order not to “blame” the patient who has been unfortunate enough to suffer the disease. Whilst guilt and blame is not helpful, I think many patients are intelligent enough to want to weigh up the benefits and risks of their lifestyle choices and indeed medical interventions such as medication and surgery in conjunction with their clinicians, in order to make an informed choice.”
Harvard School of Public Health
Jay Lau
Using acetaminophen during pregnancy may increase children’s autism and ADHD risk
When children are exposed to acetaminophen—also known by the brand name Tylenol or as paracetamol—during pregnancy, they may be more likely to develop neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) including autism and ADHD, according to a new study.
The study was published August 14 in BMC Environmental Health. Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of environmental health, was senior author.
The study was led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and also included co-authors from other institutions.
The researchers analysed results from 46 previous studies worldwide that investigated the potential link between prenatal acetaminophen use and subsequent NDDs in children. The researchers used the Navigation Guide Systematic Review methodology—a gold-standard framework for synthesizing and evaluating environmental health data—which enabled them to conduct a rigorous, comprehensive analysis that supported evidence of an association between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and increased incidence of NDDs.
The researchers noted that while steps should be taken to limit acetaminophen use, the drug is important for treating pain and fever during pregnancy, which can also harm the developing fetus. High fever can raise the risk of neural tube defects and preterm birth. “We recommend judicious acetaminophen use—lowest effective dose, shortest duration—under medical guidance, tailored to individual risk-benefit assessments, rather than a broad limitation,” they wrote.
In late September, the Food and Drug Administration announced it would issue a letter to clinicians urging them to be cautious about the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy. Baccarelli said he had discussed his study with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the weeks leading up to that announcement and provided the White House team with a statement noting his research found “evidence of an association” between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and neurodevelopmental disorders. “That association is strongest when acetaminophen is taken for four weeks or longer,” Baccarelli said.
The statement continued: “Further research is needed to confirm the association and determine causality, but based on existing evidence, I believe that caution about acetaminophen use during pregnancy—especially heavy or prolonged use—is warranted.”
Baccarelli noted in the “competing interests” section of the research paper that he has served as an expert witness for plaintiffs in a case involving potential links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders.
This story was updated on Sept. 23, 2025.
Abstract
Background
Acetaminophen is the most commonly used over-the-counter pain and fever medication taken during pregnancy, with > 50% of pregnant women using acetaminophen worldwide. Numerous well-designed studies have indicated that pregnant mothers exposed to acetaminophen have children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), at higher rates than children of pregnant mothers who were not exposed to acetaminophen.
Methods
We applied the Navigation Guide methodology to the scientific literature to comprehensively and objectively examine the association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and NDDs and related symptomology in offspring. We conducted a systematic PubMed search through February 25, 2025, using predefined inclusion criteria and rated studies based on risk of bias and strength of evidence. Due to substantial heterogeneity, we opted for a qualitative synthesis, consistent with the Navigation Guide’s focus on environmental health evidence.
Results
We identified 46 studies for inclusion in our analysis. Of these, 27 studies reported positive associations (significant links to NDDs), 9 showed null associations (no significant link), and 4 indicated negative associations (protective effects). Higher-quality studies were more likely to show positive associations. Overall, the majority of the studies reported positive associations of prenatal acetaminophen use with ADHD, ASD, or NDDs in offspring, with risk-of-bias and strength-of-evidence ratings informing the overall synthesis.
Conclusions
Our analyses using the Navigation Guide thus support evidence consistent with an association between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and increased incidence of NDDs. Appropriate and immediate steps should be taken to advise pregnant women to limit acetaminophen consumption to protect their offspring’s neurodevelopment.