New York: You could be hurting your liver, if your treatment for a hangover involves taking stacks of painkillers, and chasing it with mugs of coffee. Yes, this is true.

A new study by US researchers has revealed that caffeine can respond with the painkillers to triple the levels of noxious toxins in your blood and give rise to liver damage.

And, in large quantity, the effects could be lethal for people who are already suffering from liver problems.

Study’s lead 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 (painkiller) or caffeine products, but you do need to monitor your intake more carefully when taking them together, especially if you drink alcohol.”

The researchers came to the decision after producing an artificial enzyme that is otherwise formed when the liver crashed the painkiller drug, making use of genetically engineered bacteria and then added up caffeine to the mix to analyze the result on rodents.

They detected that the toxin levels in the liver of the rats increased threefold when caffeine was there. Caffeine was also found to intensify liver damage in those already have liver problems.

But, according to the scientists, coffee, taken in large doses, alone can also result into grave health troubles.

The study results have been reported in the journal ‘Chemical Research in Toxicology,’ published by the American Chemical Society.