Literature Review
- mfulk78
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
FOR THOSE THAT MISSED THIS LAST WEEK:
Here are some thoughts on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and acetaminophen/Tylenol for those interested:
The weight of evidence I have reviewed, and remain open to changing with stronger data, suggests that ASD risk is primarily driven by maternal inflammation and immunometabolic factors during pregnancy. Studies show ASD risk increases by 50–400% (depending on the study) in mothers who are obese or diabetic before conception, linking epidemiology to the biochemistry of immune activation. (Ye et al., 2025; Li et al., 2016)
Excessive intake of high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and starch polymers drives metabolic pathways that flood the developing brain with cytokines, affecting microglia and neuronal networks. Think early metabolic syndrome with constant immune activation bathing a newborn’s brain.
Maternal viral illness, such as COVID-19 or influenza during pregnancy, dramatically increases disease risk in certain populations. (Edlow et al., 2023) Obesity and metabolic disease also raise maternal autoantibodies targeting specific brain networks linked to ASD phenotypes. (Ramirez Cellis et al., 2021) Preconception chemical exposures in both parents contribute as well, though likely to a lesser extent. In other words, there are many more biologically plausible causes of ASD than acetaminophen alone. Moreover, ASD is not a single-gene disease like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia; it is a syndrome with likely thousands of unique pathways to its development.
Dr. M
Images below from Zhao et. al. 2023
