"Tylenol Use During Pregnancy Raises Autism Risk in Children," Claims Trump...Latest Study Says "No Link" [Health Talk]

[The Financial News] A new study has been published that completely refutes claims that taking the fever and pain reliever Tylenol during pregnancy significantly increases the likelihood of giving birth to a child with autism.
Overseas media outlets including The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 17th (local time) that a research team led by Professor Asma Khalil at St George's, University of London published a review paper containing these findings in the medical journal The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health.
This paper presents the latest research that counters President Donald Trump's claims.
In September last year, President Donald Trump said, "Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, can cause autism in your children," urging people to "tough it out" and to "fight with all your might," effectively calling for a ban on taking Tylenol.
To verify President Donald Trump's claims, Professor Asma Khalil's team conducted a scientific review of 43 studies on the use of Acetaminophen during pregnancy and concluded that there is no evidence that this analgesic increases the risk of autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. The same result held true even when they pooled and analyzed all carefully selected study data, rather than looking at individual studies alone.
Professor Asma Khalil stated, "We did not find evidence of a clinically significant increase in the risk of autism, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability."
She went on to point out that "many of the previous studies suggesting a possible association between Tylenol and autism, including those cited by the Trump administration, are vulnerable to bias and confounding factors," adding, "We made efforts to adjust for these factors."
Until now, Acetaminophen has been regarded as virtually the only fever and pain medication that pregnant women can take with confidence. However, after President Donald Trump claimed it was linked to giving birth to children with autism, it sparked major controversy in the global health and medical community.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) issued statements saying President Donald Trump's claims lack evidence, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also concluded that there is no causal relationship between taking Acetaminophen and giving birth to a child with autism.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) likewise stated that the use of Acetaminophen by pregnant women is safe.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter