Trump claim linking paracetamol during pregnancy to autism rubbished by major new study
President Donald Trump’s claim that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy is linked to autism is not based on solid evidence, an investigation has found.
The allegations were made by Trump and health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr in September 2025. They urged women not to take Tylenol, known as paracetamol in the UK, and repeated numerous conspiracy theories about autism.
Kennedy, who has previously been accused of spreading vaccine misinformation and has championed the debunked theory that routine childhood vaccinations are linked to autism, said the department would encourage clinicians to prescribe the lowest effective dose of the painkiller.
British scientists responded to claims of “fearmongering” and Health Minister Wes Streeting emphasized that “what Donald Trump says about medicine should not be listened to at all”.
A review of the medical evidence now published Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health magazine found that there is no strong evidence that paracetamol use during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or any intellectual disability in children.
Dr., founder and clinical director of The Autism Service, who was not involved in the research. “Diagnoses of autism in the UK have increased by 787 per cent since 1998, which naturally raises questions about what’s behind this trend. It’s just plain bad science to automatically assume this is because autism has become much more common. It’s even worse to attribute it to something as simple as taking unfounded paracetamol during pregnancy,” said Lisa Williams. Independent.
For the study, researchers reviewed 43 articles, one of which used sibling data. A Swedish study of 2.4 million births published in 2024 found no association between exposure to paracetamol in utero and subsequent autism.
Another example is a Japanese cohort study suggesting a small risk of ADHD and autism; but further analysis showed that this was due to “confusion and misclassification” and may be prone to bias.
Previously reported associations between paracetamol during pregnancy and autism may be due to underlying pain, discomfort, fever or other maternal factors such as genetic predisposition, rather than any direct effect of paracetamol, the study authors said.
Avoiding paracetamol may expose mothers and fetuses to risks such as miscarriage, premature birth or congenital defects associated with untreated pain and fever, the researchers said.
Experts praised the “strong and credible” study for highlighting false claims by the US administration.
“Expecting mothers don’t need the stress of questioning whether the most commonly used headache medication will have far-reaching effects on their child’s health,” said Grainne McAlonan, professor of translational neuroscience at King’s College London. “While last year’s announcement had a major impact, I hope the findings of this study will bring the matter to a conclusion.”
Dr D., senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Portsmouth. Parents of disabled children may be more likely to take paracetamol, according to Steven Kapp. She explained that this could be due to pain from parenting stress or their own chronic conditions, which neurodivergent parents are more likely to have.
“As a neurodivergent researcher and advocate, I think society needs to stop going down rabbit holes of false prevention of developmental disabilities. Instead, we should focus more on making the world a better place for people with disabilities,” he said.
Associate professor of social and developmental psychology at Durham University. Monique Botha said: “When this high-quality evidence is examined, the findings are clear: there is no evidence that the use of paracetamol as recommended during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.”
