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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Issues: folic acid

The Facts Behind Claims on Autism, Tylenol and Folate

The Facts Behind Claims on Autism, Tylenol and Folate
September 17, 2025

News reports have indicated Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may point to Tylenol and folate deficiency in his promised announcement on the causes of autism. But neither Tylenol nor folate deficiency has been shown to cause autism. Some evidence has pointed away from Tylenol as a risk factor.

Taking Folic Acid, Not Other Folates, Is Recommended to Reduce Risk of Birth Defects

Taking Folic Acid, Not Other Folates, Is Recommended to Reduce Risk of Birth Defects
April 3, 2023

A folic acid supplement is recommended during pregnancy and prior to conception because it reduces the risk of neural tube defects in babies. Social media posts have claimed that people should avoid folic acid in favor of a different form of the vitamin, but folic acid is the only one that has been established to help prevent birth defects.