(AI image generated using ChatGPT) US President Donald Trump has reignited controversy in the medical community by urging pregnant people to avoid Tylenol over an alleged link to autism, despite the absence of scientific consensus. Speaking at a White House event on Monday, he called on mothers-to-be to “tough it out” rather than take acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, and raised doubts over standard childhood vaccines.His remarks drew swift condemnation from doctors, medical groups and researchers, who warned that the advice could frighten pregnant women, undermine confidence in vaccines, and push people towards unsafe decisions. Trump, who has long entertained fringe health theories, pressed his case in increasingly urgent tones, declaring: “Taking Tylenol is not good” and urging pregnant women to “fight like hell not to take it.” He added that only an “extremely high fever” could justify its use.Medical organisations quickly pushed back. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has long cited acetaminophen as one of the safest painkillers during pregnancy. Its president, Dr Steven Fleischman, warned that Trump’s claims would terrify mothers-to-be. “I don’t want you going back and looking and saying to yourself, ‘I shouldn’t have done this, I shouldn’t have done that.’ It’s nothing you did. It really is not,” he told news agency AP. “Not treating the fever probably has more adverse effects that you need to worry about than taking the medication.”The science: Mixed and inconclusive
Some studies have suggested a possible association between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A Mount Sinai-led review published in BMC Environmental Health this year examined 46 studies covering more than 100,000 participants. It concluded that “higher-quality studies are more likely to show a link” and warned that “even a small increase in risk could have major public health implications.” Researchers stressed that acetaminophen can cross the placental barrier and may interfere with foetal brain development through oxidative stress or hormonal disruption.”Pregnant women should not stop taking medication without consulting their doctors,” said Dr Didier Prada of Mount Sinai. “Untreated pain or fever can also harm the baby. Our study highlights the importance of discussing the safest approach with health care providers.”Another large-scale analysis, however, painted a very different picture. A Swedish cohort study of 2.48 million children published in JAMA found no evidence that acetaminophen use in pregnancy was associated with autism, ADHD or intellectual disability once sibling-controlled analyses were applied. The authors concluded that earlier findings may have been influenced by “familial confounding” rather than a direct causal link.The US Food and Drug Administration struck a cautious tone, advising physicians that “a causal relationship has not been established” and noting the presence of contrary evidence in the scientific literature. Tylenol maker Kenvue defended the drug, saying: “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”Autism, vaccines and politics
Trump’s remarks did not stop at Tylenol. He repeated talking points long associated with the anti-vaccine movement, raising doubts about the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot and calling for delays to hepatitis B vaccination in newborns. “Don’t let them pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff you’ve ever seen in your life,” he said, before dramatically likening paediatric vaccines to doses “pumping into a horse.”Medical experts have long debunked any connection between vaccines and autism. “Studies have repeatedly found no credible link between life-saving childhood vaccines and autism,” said Dr Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She warned that “any effort to misrepresent sound, strong science poses a threat to the health of children.”Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has spent decades pushing theories about vaccines and autism, stood alongside Trump. Kennedy promoted leucovorin, a folate-based drug already used for chemotherapy side effects, as an “exciting therapy” for some children with autism. The FDA confirmed it had approved the tablet form for children with cerebral folate deficiency but emphasised that evidence for autism treatment remains preliminary.What autism research really shows
According to the Associated Press, autism is a developmental condition rooted largely in genetics. Hundreds of genes have been linked to the disorder, with environmental factors such as parental age, preterm birth or maternal infections during pregnancy also playing a role. Rates of diagnosis have risen sharply over the past two decades — from 1 in 150 children in the early 2000s to about 1 in 31 today — largely because of broader definitions, improved screening and greater awareness.”There is no single cause,” said Boston University expert Helen Tager-Flusberg. “Different combinations of genes and other factors can all affect how a foetal brain develops.”That complexity underscores why Trump’s simplistic linkage between Tylenol, vaccines and autism struck many scientists as reckless. As Dr Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia put it: “No doubt children will suffer” from such claims.Dr Trump?
The presentation echoed Trump’s briefings during the Covid-19 pandemic, when President Trump revisited debunked medical claims with familiar bravado. “I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning?” Trump asked in April 2020. “As you see, it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”Despite acknowledging, “I’m just making these statements from me,” Trump claimed he’d consulted “many doctors.” Scientists condemned the event, calling it misinformation-laden and dangerous.
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