New research suggests that paracetamol, which is also known
as acetaminophen and sold under the brand name Tylenol in the United States
(U.S.) and Panadol in the United Kingdom (U.K.), has been linked to
infertility.
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| Paracetamol |
The findings are published online in Human Reproduction but
was first reported by DailyMailUK Online.
Couples, where the male partner had high levels of the drug
in his urine took longer to conceive, according to scientists at the National
Institutes of Health That was compared to men who had lower levels of the
compound in their system.
Paracetamol is a non-prescription drug widely used as a pain
reliever and to reduce fever.
It is also one of the compounds produced when the body
breaks down aniline, a chemical used to make rubber, pesticides, and coloring
agents used in food, cosmetics and clothing.
Dr. Melissa Smarr, the study’s first author, from United
States (NIH’s) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development, said: “At this point, our findings need to be corroborated
by future research, and there is no cause for alarm.’
Smarr explained that the high levels of paracetamol in the
urine of certain men, who participated in the study, were unlikely to result
from taking the painkillers alone.
The findings, she said, are more consistent with those seen
from environmental exposure, either to aniline or paracetamol, or a combination
of the two.
But, she said, the findings could have implications for the
amount of paracetamol exposure that is deemed acceptable.
Researchers led by Dr Smarr analyzed data from the
Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) study,
established to examine how lifestyle and exposure to environmental chemicals
may affect fertility.
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