Scientists have even explained the biological mechanism by which this drug alters the development of the brain of a developing human before birth. The White House adds supporting quotes from the most renowned universities to this connection (between autism and paracetamol) in order to protect itself against the flood of criticism that is now raining down on its Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy even more heavily than on vaccines.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already announced that this drug, when taken during pregnancy, will carry a warning label stating that there is a “possible link” to autism in children born later.
Another circumstance cited by the White House is an international consensus statement from 2021 entitled “Call for Caution,” which recommends that pregnant women take acetaminophen only in minimal doses and for as short a time as possible. A Canadian study from 2022 measured the levels of this substance in the stool of approximately 800 newborns. In 56 percent of cases, the result was positive. This led to a 20 percent increase in risk at birth and a more than 60 percent increase in the risk of low birth weight for gestational age.
The European Journal of Pediatrics published a systematic review in 2022 entitled “Paracetamol in infants and children has never been proven safe for nerve development.” This review of hundreds of studies shows that there are 50 short-term studies proving that this drug is safe for the child's liver, but none that address its effects on the brain. Until now, it was known that in adults, under certain circumstances, it can cause oxidative stress or, in cases of overdose, damage the liver, but there are a growing number of studies in animals and humans showing that during early development, it is toxic not to the liver but to the brain.
The fact that newborns are most sensitive to paracetamol is also confirmed by studies comparing boys who had circumcisions paid for by health insurance in the US and were given Tylenol, an American brand of paracetamol medication. These boys had twice the rate of autism compared to uncircumcised boys. When comparing the autism rate in newborns whose paracetamol levels were measured in their umbilical cord blood, they found that those with the highest levels had a 3.6 times higher autism rate than those with the lowest paracetamol levels.
The extent to which this is a correlation or causality is controversial in the scientific community. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy declared autism an epidemic whose cases are on the rise, estimating that one in 31 children in the US will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by the age of eight. He promised to present the causes and treatment of this disorder by September of this year, and he has kept that promise.
In connection with treatment, which officially does not exist for autistic patients, he presented a promising therapy with folic acid, the active form of vitamin B9.
Several clinical studies on small groups of patients by Dr. Karam Radwan at the University of Chicago confirmed positive results with oral administration of very high doses of this form of vitamin. In contrast to the synthetic form of vitamin B9, known as folic acid, which is not absorbed by people with the MTHFR gene mutation (and even blocks the absorption of the active form), there is also the active form methylfolate, which is absorbed very quickly. The advantage of the second active form of folinic acid is that it can remain in the bloodstream even longer and is stored directly by the body.
Both active forms are found in dark leafy vegetables, which are recommended to be eaten fresh. The FDA has already initiated the approval process for drugs containing calcium leucovorin for patients with cerebral folate deficiency (CFD), a neurological disorder that impairs the transport of folate, a vitamin B9 important for brain health, to the brain.
People with this disorder exhibit developmental delays with autistic traits, seizures, and movement and coordination problems. A similar drug is also available on the market in the US under the name calcium folinate and is used to alleviate toxic effects in cancer treatment.
A drug with a similar application also exists in the US, but in order for it to be officially prescribed to autistic patients, the manufacturer must first submit the results of clinical trials, which are a prerequisite for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
