Experts raise alarm as Trump pushes 'harmful' link between Tylenol and autism

Experts have been forced to speak out after Donald Trump's huge announcement about autism and Tylenol.

Yesterday (September 22), Trump told America that the FDA is supposedly advising that pregnant women 'limit Tylenol use' and suggested that the drug is responsible for the 'meteoric rise' in cases of autism – something the medication brand has denied.

He alleged that there was once just one in 10,000 children with autism, but this figure has since risen drastically to one in 31 kids.

"There are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills, that have no autism," the president further claimed.

While the FDA is reportedly saying that people should only take Tylenol if they really need it while pregnant, Trump said women who are expecting shouldn't take it full stop.

"Ideally, you don’t take it at all, but if you have to, if you can’t tough it out, if there’s a problem, you’re going to end up doing it," said the 79-year-old.

In the wake of Trump's bold claims, experts across the globe have been branding what the president said to be 'harmful'.

One person to express their concerns is Steven J. Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG).

"Suggestions that acetaminophen [paracetamol] use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy," he said in a statement.

Fleischman went on: "Today’s announcement by HHS is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children.

"It is highly unsettling that our federal health agencies are willing to make an announcement that will affect the health and well-being of millions of people without the backing of reliable data."

Many experts have argued that there are no links between Tylenol and autism (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The expert further insisted that in over 20 years of research, there's not a reputable study that successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen (the primary active ingredient in Tylenol that's known as paracetamol in countries like the UK) in pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

Experts across the pond are speaking out as well.

Dr Monique Botha, associate professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University, said, as per PA: "There are many studies which refute a link, but the most important was a Swedish study of 2.4 million births published in 2024 which used actual sibling data and found no relationship between exposure to paracetamol in utero and subsequent autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.

"This suggests no causal effect of paracetamol in autism."

Dr Botha added: "There is no robust evidence or convincing studies to suggest there is any causal relationship and any conclusions being drawn to the contrary are often motivated, under-evidenced, and unsupported by the most robust methods to answering this question.

"I am exceptionally confident in saying that no relationship exists."

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