Tylenol's Link to Asthma in Children

Many parents, on doctor's recommendations, give Tylenol to children for fever and other discomforts.

A new study of over 20,000 children indicates that giving a child Tylenol, or acetaminophen, even as little as one time per year cound adversely affect their health.

Children aged 6 to 7 years who had received Tylenol only once per year were at a 70% greater risk for asthma; but those who received the medicine once a month or more were 540% more likely to have the condition.

A study conducted at the University of A Coruna in Spain and published in the European Journal of Health found that children who had a single dose of Tylenol prior to their first birthday had a 60% higher risk of developing asthma.

Even children ages 13 to 14 had a 40% greater chance of asthma if they'd taken acetaminophen in the previous 12 months and a 250% higher risk if they took it once a month.

Researchers speculate that Tylenol, even when taken occasionally, might reduce amounts of glutathione in the body--an antioxidant found in the lungs and blood. This dimenishes the body's defenses against disease.