Mixing coffee and paracetamol 'could cause liver damage'

Caffeine can react with the painkiller to cause liver damage, say scientists.

In large amounts, for susceptible people, the effects could be fatal.

Overdoses of paracetamol are well-known to cause potentiallyfatal liver damage, but now scientists have shown that combining coffee with the drug could also prove deadly.

The danger from paracetamol, the world's most popular painkiller, comes from a toxic enzyme created when the drug is broken down by the liver.

In their experiments, U.S. scientists created this enzyme artificially using geneticallyengineered bacteria, then added caffeine to the mix.

They found levels of the dangerous toxin tripled when caffeine was present.

The toxin also causes potentially-fatal liver damage when the painkiller is taken with large amounts of alcohol.

Researcher Dr Sidney Nelson, of the University of Washington in Seattle, said: 'People should be informed about this potentially harmful interaction.

'The bottom line is that you don't have to stop taking paracetamol or caffeine products, but you do need to monitor your intake more carefully when taking them together, especially if you drink alcohol.'

He said a normal person would suffer adverse effects only if they

drank 20 to 30 cups of strong coffee a day while taking the painkiller.

However, some people would be more susceptible, such as those taking anti-epilepsy medicines, or St John's wort, a herbal antidepressant. Both of these boost levels of the enzyme involved.

Those who drink a lot of alcohol are also at higher risk, while people should be aware that many paracetamol-based painkillers also contain caffeine.

Caffeine was also found to exacerbate liver damage in rats already suffering liver problems, the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology reports.

Despite its dangers however, paracetamol also appears to have benefits, with studies suggesting it can cut the risk of ovarian cancer. Research shows that women who regularly take the drug are 30 per cent less likely to develop the disease, which claims 4,600 lives a year in the UK, than those who rarely or never use the tablets.

However, long-term use of paracetamol increases the risk of kidney and liver failure and makes people more vulnerable to high blood pressure and strokes.

Taken in large doses, coffee alone can cause problems.

Last month, a teenage waitress suffered a caffeine overdose after drinking 14 shots of espresso.

Jasmine Willis, 17, from Stanley, County Durham, was taken to hospital with a high temperature and heart palpitations.