I actually like meta-analyses, as they take multiple studies into account, which may come to conflicting conclusions. You can judge based on the majority of the studies, or, in this case, they also evaluated the quality of the studies, and as I pointed out, this wasn’t done just by researchers at Mount Sinai.
The study was conducted in collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles; University of Massachusetts Lowell; and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The press release does not claim the study
proves a causal relationship:
While the study does not show that acetaminophen directly causes neurodevelopmental disorders, the research team’s findings strengthen the evidence for a connection and raise concerns about current clinical practices.
The researchers call for cautious, time-limited use of acetaminophen during pregnancy under medical supervision; updated clinical guidelines to better balance the benefits and risks; and further research to confirm these findings and identify safer alternatives for managing pain and fever in expectant mothers.
You make a
guess, invoking “AI” simply to devalue the methodology:
So the Navigation Guide is apparently a methodology used to assess and screen for flaws and biases in studies selected for meta analyses, and this is the first time it has been used in a published study.
My guess: it uses AI to screen these studies. Would be interested to see any peer reviewed studies on the Navigation Guide itself.
You don’t need to "
guess," if you’re “
interested," try a quick web search, like this:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=navigation+guide+methodology
The study does
not claim to prove a causal relationship. The authors
do advise
caution. If you want to know about their methodologies, follow the link I provided to the study itself.
https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0
Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology
…
Methods
We applied the Navigation Guide methodology to the scientific literature to comprehensively and objectively examine the association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and NDDs and related symptomology in offspring. We conducted a systematic PubMed search through February 25, 2025, using predefined inclusion criteria and rated studies based on risk of bias and strength of evidence. Due to substantial heterogeneity, we opted for a qualitative synthesis, consistent with the Navigation Guide’s focus on environmental health evidence.
Results
We identified 46 studies for inclusion in our analysis. Of these, 27 studies reported positive associations (significant links to NDDs), 9 showed null associations (no significant link), and 4 indicated negative associations (protective effects). Higher-quality studies were more likely to show positive associations. Overall, the majority of the studies reported positive associations of prenatal acetaminophen use with ADHD, ASD, or NDDs in offspring, with risk-of-bias and strength-of-evidence ratings informing the overall synthesis.
Conclusions
Our analyses using the Navigation Guide thus support evidence consistent with an association between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and increased incidence of NDDs. Appropriate and immediate steps should be taken to advise pregnant women to limit acetaminophen consumption to protect their offspring’s neurodevelopment.
…
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