It occurs to me that pain killers can cross the placenta and also affect gut microbes, and that since sometimes autism isn’t inherited, there’s a gut microbe imbalance component to autism that needs more attention, especially related to how gut microbes differ in those born with and without Caesarians. Secondly, how are genes related to autism also linked to the gut-brain axis.

Gut health isn’t mentioned in the article, so it seems like a good point to bring up.

▲

kristianp a day ago | parent | next [-]

> also affect gut microbes

Which painkillers? Do you have a citation for that? Note that ibuprofen is generally prohibited in pregnancy.

	▲	nis0s a day ago \| parent [-]
		I believe acetaminophen is prescribed routinely during pregnancy because it’s considered safe to use, but it’s indicated that there may be a link between its use and outcomes, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9385573/ Here’s some additional information from another paper > The gut microbiome has been implicated in the pathophysiological mechanisms of ADHD through the MGBA. Alterations in the MGBA contribute to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, leading to ADHD core symptoms and associated comorbidities such as sleep disturbances. There is some evidence indicating maternal stress and the use of acetaminophen, which is a common pain reliever and fever reducer, may increase the risk of ADHD in offspring during pregnancy https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/10/1234

▲

mikestew a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You’re not saying Tylenol causes autism, are you?

▲

nis0s a day ago | parent [-]

I am saying it’s possible there’s a gut-brain axis being affected by any number of factors. Consider Caesarian babies. I didn’t look it up, but I think since Caesarian babies aren’t exposed to bacteria from the vaginal canal, it perhaps contributes to their condition.

▲

RAM-bunctious a day ago | parent [-]

It's technically possible that early-life microbiome differences from bypassing the birth canal could influence it, but the fact that the association disappears when siblings who were delivered differently are compared is suggestive.

"However, the association did not persist when using sibling controls, implying that this association is due to familial confounding by genetic and/or environmental factors." - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/...

	▲	nis0s a day ago \| parent [-]
		That’s interesting but it’s hard to conclude anything without measuring titers during births which do and don’t result in ASD.

▲

bsder a day ago | parent | prev [-]

From TFA: (archive link: https://archive.ph/5CeZe)

> Other factors that have been linked to autism include people being born prematurely or through cesarean section, as well as pregnant people having obesity, using certain medications (such as the antiseizure drug valproate) and the pain reliever acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) and being exposed to air pollution. The strength of the evidence for these links varies, though, and the increases in risk tend to be small. The evidence is also only correlational, meaning it can’t establish what caused what.

> Acetaminophen is also usually used as a fever reducer, which pregnant people might take if they are fighting an infection. Both infections and uncontrolled fevers during pregnancy have been linked to higher rates of autism. “We know that the neurodevelopmental outcomes of having an uncontrolled fever are worse than what we’re observing for acetaminophen,” Mandell says.

	▲	nis0s 21 hours ago \| parent [-]
		How’s it not fucking clear that the gut-brain axis of fetuses isn’t mentioned in the article. Not only that, but the effects measured in the present studies have never even considered varying titers in vaginal canals during births, at least as far as I know. Science isn’t gospel, don’t treat it like so. The original comment is a hypothesis, but it's based on existing evidence. Here's some information from another comment, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45215745