Giving toddlers Calpol and other paracetamol medication may double their chances of developing asthma in later childhood, according to a new study.
Researchers said the commonly administered drug “consumes” an enzyme crucial for clearing up toxins in the lungs.
A study of 620 children found a link between babies who had regularly been given paracetamol and those who developed asthma by the age of 18.
It also revealed that in children with a particular variant of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene, GSTP1, the risk of asthma were 1.8 times higher having been given regular paracetamol.
Paracetamol, the leading children’s brand of which is Calpol, is recommended by the NHS to treat many childhood ailments, including headache, stomach ache, ear ache, as well as reducing fever.
GST genes contain the instructions for making enzymes that use an antioxidant called glutathione to mop up the effects of exposure to toxins in the body and the lungs.
This mechanism helps to prevent damage to cells and inflammation.
