What we know, and not, about the links between the painters and the autism

On Monday, the US government announced two measures related to autism. It will update labeling on normal pain reducing paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, warning use during pregnancy can increase the risk of autism and ADHD in children. This autism will also approve a drug called LE Lukorin in some children with spectrum disorder (ASD). None of these moves are based on strong scientific results, and it is likely that they will have the least impact on autism in the United States.

The announcement was promised by Robert F. Kennedy Junior, the country’s advanced health official, to identify the reasons for autism by the end of September in April. US President Donald Trump called for these measures as a “historic step to counter the autism crisis” during a press conference.

This structure indicates either misunderstanding or misrepresentation we know about autism. There is no crisis here – in the 1980s, autism rates began to rise rapidly as diagnostic standards for expanding this condition. Over the past few decades, awareness and identity of high levels of autism have also played an important role in increasing the diagnosis of autism.

As far as the cause of this condition is concerned, there is very little evidence that suggests that paracetamol is responsible. It is true that many studies have suggested that the use of paracetamol in pregnancy can increase the risk of autism in children. Recent analysis of 46 studies states that 27 of them have identified an important association between the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, and children are at high risk of neurodepulological conditions such as autism. But just because there is a relationship does not mean that paracetamol causes autism – other factors can be in the game.

And other studies have contradictory results. For example, a study of about 2.5 million children in 2024 found a slight risk of autism in the paracetamol during pregnancy, but after comparing children with their unmarked siblings, their effect was eliminated. “It was a family history that does not matter to the use of paracetamol and not,” said Dmitros Sisakos at University College London. “Research has shown that no obvious minor increase [in autism] As a result of paracetamol in pregnancy, when reviews take into account the factors that are most important, such as genetics, which decades of research have indicated that the basic auxiliary is in this case.

During the press conference, Trump said that pregnant women should not take pain or fever parasitamol during pregnancy unless they “cannot tighten it”, and “they should talk to their doctors for more information”. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged in a press release that a bilateral relationship between paracetamol and autism has not been established, and it is said that the physicians are the safest available pellets for widespread use during pregnancy in a notice. “[It] The use of vapor treatment during pregnancy is the only anti -drug use for use, and high fever in pregnant women can risk their children.

The FDA has also announced that it will approve the drug leukorine for those suffering from mental folate deficiency, a condition that promotes vitamin B9 in the brain. Some research shows that 40 % of the autistic people may have this condition, resulting in communication and sensory processing issues.

Lukorin, a form of vitamin B9, is already available for the treatment of vitamin deficiencies as well as the side effects of certain cancer drugs. Initial evidence suggests that it can also improve some of the acute autism. For example, a 2016 study treated 23 autistic children, which contains language defects using two doses of leukorine daily, while a separate group of 25 children found a placebo. After 12 weeks, 65 % of children receiving Lukorin saw a medical meaningful improvement in oral communication compared to 24 % of the control groups in the control group.

But so far, all studies about leukorine and autism have been small, and mostly indicate just the slightest improvement. A large clinical trial is underway, the results are expected next year. “Any evidence available at this location is extraordinarily temporary and will not be considered strong.” “While medicines can help with very specific aspects [of autism]There is no medicine or treatment that can actively fix or erase autism. “

Following this announcement, the US Department of Health and Human Services made it clear that “promising, it is important to note that Lukorine is not a treatment for ASD and that only ASD children subsets can improve speech deficit”.

Kennedy, with Trump’s support, has made a pillar of US health policy policy to deal with “autism epidemic”. They both presented the changes in these policy as a remarkable development in the short -term. But science recommends that neither refrain from paracetamol in pregnancy, nor will it be significantly affected by taking leukorine as Trump and Kennedy claimed. Instead, these measures are most likely that they will sow confusion around it to safely treat pain or fever during pregnancy.