Coffee boosts pill benefits

Washing down an ibuprofen tablet with coffee can boost the analgesic action of the painkiller, a study has found.

The combined effect emerged during a study involving 301 tension-type headache sufferers, organised by the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago.

Patients reported the combination relieved pain faster and more thoroughly than either caffeine or ibuprofen separately or a placebo.

The research is published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.