Is acetaminophen damaging our kids?

All this discussion about acetaminophen – also known as paracetamol here in Australia- contributing to neurological disorders like autism and ADHD, it’s gotten pretty wild.

The reactions since the US president and RFK had that press conference a few days has been particularly interesting.

I’ve seen people with extreme left wing views chugging excessive amounts of tylenol on TikTok to “shove it” to their government… which is just insane.

I’ve seen a lot of women panicking because they took paracetamol during their pregnancy or given it to unwell babies. Which I think is misdirected guilt.

And I’ve seen some really sensible and balanced responses from people who’ve followed the research for a long time.

Here’s my take on it.

We’ve known for a very long time that acetaminophen depletes glutathione levels in the liver.

Because when we take it, the active component is broken down in the liver and a small part of it is converted to a toxic metabolite called NAPQI. When the liver is functioning normally, glutathione steps in to detoxify it from our body and no damage will be done to liver cells.

An emerging conversation in this space has been around the MTHFR gene mutation and its role in all of this. The MTHFR gene is involved in producing the enzyme that converts folate, which assists the methylation process and synthesis of glutathione.

When this gene copy has a mutation, it often means that glutathione levels are not functioning optimally and the toxic load on the liver begins to become more than the body can manage.

With the understanding that acetaminophen depletes glutathione- it would stand to reason that someone who also carries the MTHRF gene mutation – would not be methylating efficiently and lower glutathione levels further. This means more oxidative stress with fewer antioxidants available to neutralise harmful free radicals.

What does this actually mean?

Now you might be wondering what all this actually has to do with the findings we are currently hearing about.

As it stands, doctors will not test for MTHFR gene mutations – as they claim they do not fully understand how it is implicated or exactly how it expresses itself. Widespread testing would mean that larger portions of people would be confirmed to carry the gene mutation, possibly leading to unfounded panic.

Pregnant women are often prescribed synthetic forms of folate in early pregnancy to ward off neural tube defects – except most of the folate supplements are made using synthetic compounds and someone with the MTHRF gene couldn’t convert it anyway.

Without proper folate methylation, there’s no proper enzymes available for sufficient glutathione production and this also impacts vitamins B12 processing too.

It’s known that the impacts of this can affect nucleotide and DNA synthesis, leading to fetal abnormalities.

What comes next?

The impacts of poor detoxification from medications to heavy metals is finally being addressed and I think it’s a good thing.

I don’t think the messaging is that panadol is going to give your kid autism- but it is a piece of the puzzle.

I personally think that more research and deeper understanding into genes already implicated in poor detoxing and potentially leading to oxidation overload in the body need more widespread testing.

Especially, alongside certain heavy metal toxic adjuvants used in vaccines and the impact of chemicals used on our food.

This is a great conversation to be having – finally – out in the open. Not to diminish or judge any persons decisions or points of view. Simply demanding answers and truth.

As a mother myself, I’ve felt somewhat muted and left on the fringe for simply wanting clarity around making the best choices for myself and my kids.

I think that’s all any of us want.

How has this emerging evidence and conversation effected you?

I am always open to honest, kind discussion. This is how we begin to see positive change in the world, when we start listening to each other.