The Rant with David King

Tylenol and Autism?

Episode Summary

On this episode we get back to health and wellness and discuss Tylenol and Autism. Are they linked?

Episode Notes

Your body processes acetaminophen via two distinct pathways:

• Phase 2 metabolism (the safe route): 
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  Your liver adds molecules through glucuronidation and sulfation - making it water-soluble so you can pee it out safely.
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• Phase 1 metabolism (the toxic route): 
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  Your body tries to "burn" the acetaminophen through cytochrome P450 oxidation... creating NAPQI - a highly reactive molecule that depletes glutathione (your master antioxidant) and damages mitochondria.

PMID links 

• Cord blood study: Mothers divided into 3 groups by acetaminophen levels at birth. They found a 4x increased risk of Autism with higher exposure. (PMID: 31664451)
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• Animal study (2014): Two doses before day 10 caused permanent brain changes; males more affected. (PMID: 24361869)
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• Neuronal death: Even non-lethal doses kill brain cells in developing animals. (PMID: 21170329)
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• Systematic review (2025): 46 studies - the stronger the study design, the stronger the association. (PMID: 40804730)

 What about the studies "DEBUNKING" it?!”
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​Those studies are incredibly misleading….

Let’s consider the biggest one, which followed 2.5 million Swedish births. 
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They compared siblings - one exposed in utero, one not. When they did this, the autism association disappeared. (PMID: 38592388)
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