Wellness Unmasked Weekly Rundown: Trump Was Right: The Hidden Link Between Pregnancy, Folate, and Child Health

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Wellness Unmasked Weekly Rundown: Trump Was Right: The Hidden Link Between Pregnancy, Folate, and Child Health

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Segment Host: Dr. Nicole Saphier
Date: September 26, 2025
Episode Theme: The overlooked importance of folate (folic acid) in pregnancy and overall health, inspired by recent headlines involving President Trump’s comments on medication use and child development.

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Episode Overview

Dr. Nicole Saphier delivers a focused health rundown tied to a much-publicized press conference where President Trump touched on potential links between Tylenol use in pregnancy and risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD. Dr. Saphier unpacks the real story: the critical role of folate (vitamin B9) for women (especially the pregnant and those of childbearing age), children, and overall public health. She leaves listeners with actionable advice, underscoring the message with urgency and practical tips.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medication Risks in Pregnancy and Beyond

Timestamp: 02:57–04:03

• Dr. Saphier urges caution with all medications, including over-the-counter options like Tylenol (acetaminophen), Motrin, aspirin, Benadryl, and even vitamins:
  • "Do not take any medication...lightly, every medication comes with risks and it also comes with potential benefits." (Dr. Saphier, 03:23)
  • Even seemingly harmless medications can have significant effects, particularly during pregnancy.
  • Encouragement to always consult a doctor, even when medications don’t require a prescription.

2. The Trump Press Conference & Autism Treatment Talk

Timestamp: 04:03–04:55

• Dr. Saphier references President Trump, noting the press conference also introduced ideas about possible treatments for autism, mentioning leucovorin.
• However, the major medical takeaway was around the vital importance of folic acid and its connection to reduced autism risk.

3. Folate (Folic Acid): Why It’s Critical

Timestamp: 04:55–06:24

• Folate is essential for:

  • DNA repair
  • Red blood cell formation
  • Healthy cell growth and aging

• "Folate is a B vitamin. It supports DNA repair, red blood cell formation and healthy cell growth. It's particularly important for women of childbearing age because it helps prevent serious birth defects, but the truth is we all need it daily for optimal energy and cellular health." (Dr. Saphier, 05:11)

• Alarming insights:

  • Many Americans, especially women, are not getting enough folate due to reliance on processed foods, which are stripped of natural folate.
  • Even fortified grains can’t fully make up the gap, particularly in those not eating enough leafy greens and legumes.

4. Health Consequences of Folate Deficiency

Timestamp: 06:24–06:55

• Folate deficiency increases risks for:

  • Types of anemia and persistent fatigue
  • Heart disease
  • Some cancers
  • Poor DNA repair (with implications for aging and chronic disease)

• "Folate is not just about pregnancy. Low levels are linked to anemia, fatigue, and even higher risk of heart disease and certain cancers." (Dr. Saphier, 06:26)

5. How to Get More Folate: Practical, Real-World Tips

Timestamp: 06:55–07:18

• Foods rich in folate:

  • Spinach: "Just one cup of spinach gives you almost half of your daily needs." (Dr. Saphier, 06:57)
  • Lentils, black beans, asparagus, avocados, strawberries
  • Salmon and eggs (some folate)

• Dr. Saphier’s recommendations:

  • Swap romaine lettuce for spinach in salads.
  • Make smoothies with avocado and blueberries; add chia and flax seeds for extra fiber.

• "Eat more greens, ladies. I don't know what else to tell you. You have to do it. Whatever you gotta do...eat more greens." (Dr. Saphier, 07:13)

6. Special Emphasis for Pregnant Women

Timestamp: 07:18–07:31

• Prenatal vitamins with folic acid are essential, but not sufficient:
  • "A prenatal vitamin with folic acid is absolutely essential. But those prenatal vitamins, that's not enough. You gotta up your greens, ladies." (Dr. Saphier, 07:20)

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Memorable Quotes

• "Do not take any medication...lightly, every medication comes with risks and it also comes with potential benefits." (Dr. Saphier, 03:23)
• "Folate is not optional. It's foundational. Make it part of your daily routine and your future self will thank you." (Dr. Saphier, 07:24)
• "Trump was right about this. Eat more greens, get more folate." (Dr. Saphier, 07:28)

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Notable Moments with Timestamps

| Segment | Key Point | Timestamp | |---------|-----------|-----------| | Medication caution | All meds (even OTC/vitamins) have potential risks | 03:23 | | Folate is essential | Role in cell growth, DNA repair, disease prevention | 05:11 | | Practical food advice | Spinach and legumes as go-to folate sources | 06:57 | | Prenatal focus | Why vitamins alone aren’t enough | 07:20 | | Presidential nod | "Trump was right about this." | 07:28 |

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Tone & Style

Friendly, direct, practical, and conversational—Dr. Saphier addresses listeners as both a physician and a trusted public health advisor, with an accessible balance of urgency and encouragement. She injects a dose of humor by conceding Trump’s correctness on folate, but her tone remains clinical and evidence-based throughout.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Don’t underestimate the risks of everyday medications—talk to your doctor about all drugs and supplements.
• Folate is fundamental for everyone’s health, particularly for women who may become pregnant.
• Americans need to prioritize dietary sources of folate—especially dark leafy greens and legumes.
• Prenatal vitamins are vital but should supplement, not replace, a folate-rich diet.
• Trump’s recent comments have brought overdue attention to maternal nutrition and child health—an opportunity to improve national wellness.

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Transcript

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[Dr. Nicole Safire]

Bring the Boom XBoom welcome to Wellness on Mass. I'm Dr. Nicole Safire and this is your weekly rundown. It has been such a busy week ever since the press conference heard round the world where President Trump started talking about the potential links between Tylenol use and pregnancy and its association with babies being born with Autism Spectrum Disorder and adhd. Taking a deep breath from the turmoil of the week, I think there were two big messages again that came out of that press conference that I want to just hope hone in a little bit today. 1. Do not take any medication. Whether you need a prescription for it or not. Lightly, every medication comes with risks and it also comes with potential benefits. You never know which one or how it's going to affect you. So just because you don't need a prescription doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to your doctor about it. Because the reality is all medications have risks. Whether it's Tylenol, Motrin, Aspirin, Benadryl, even vitamins, they come with risks. So please talk to your doctor. Use medication spiritually. At the end of the day, we all want to try and get to the healthiest place possible so we are less reliant on taking medications. That should always be the goal. The other big thing that came out of that press conference was that they talked about a possible treatment for autism. One is leucovorin. That's the medication name. But the overarching message here was that pregnant women's diet is too low in folic acid. Babies being born with autism spectrum disorder tended to have lower amounts of folate. There were even some were found to have autoantibodies against the receptors that uptake folate. So as a physician, I cannot emphasize enough how critical folate, often known as folic acid when it's in the supplement form, is for your health. Folate is a B vitamin. It supports DNA repair, red blood cell formation and healthy cell growth. It's particularly important for women of childbearing age because it helps prevent serious birth def but the truth is we all need it daily for optimal energy and cellular health. Here's the problem. Our diets are just not giving us enough. The recommended daily amount for an adult is around 400 micrograms of dietary folate equivalents. Now pregnant women need even more, about 600 micrograms. Yet many Americans fall short because, well, we lean on heavily processed foods stripped of natural folate. Even with fortified grains, deficiencies are still very common, especially in people who skip those leafy greens and legumes. So why does this matter? Well, folate is not just about pregnancy. Low levels are linked to anemia, fatigue, and even higher risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Because folate is central to how our DNA repairs itself, it plays a role in healthy aging and lowering long term disease risk for all of us. Good news. It's easy to boost folate naturally. And this is my big take home. This is my public public service announcement of the week. Just one cup of spinach gives you almost half of your daily needs. Lentils, black beans, asparagus, avocados, and even some fruits like strawberries. And some others can give you some folate. If you enjoy salmon or eggs, those can help too. A simple swap, like adding a spinach salad at lunch instead of romaine lettuce, or blending blueberries and avocado into a smoothie. I love morning smoothies. Why don't you throw in some chia seeds and some flax to get that daily fiber as well we all need. It can just make a big difference, I promise. And for women who are thinking about becoming pregnant, a prenatal vitamin with folic acid is absolutely essential. But those prenatal vitamins, that's not enough. You gotta up your greens, ladies. I don't know what else to tell you. You have to do it. Whatever you gotta do, put it in your calendar. Eat more greens. Bottom line, folate is not optional. It's foundational. Make it part of your daily routine and your future self will. Thank you. And I'm not going to give President Trump credit for this little public service announcement. But you know what? I'm actually going to, because he brought the conversation of women and folate into the mix. So. That's right, ladies. Trump was right about this. Eat more greens, get more folate. Thanks for listening to Wellness Unmass on America's number one podcast network. I Heart Follow Wellness unmasked with Dr. Nicole Safire and start listening on the free iHeartradios app or wherever you get your podcast. And I'll see you next time.

[Emily Maitlis and John Sopel]

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