Dec 07, 2016 08:39 AM EST By Audri Taylors, UniversityHerald Reporter

If you are regularly drinking wine for its health benefits, it might be about time to think again.

According to experts, drinking at least one glass of wine of beer in a day can actually increase your risk of "heart flutter" and can be harmful for the heart. This information was gathered from 900,000 who are regular drinkers.

An abnormal heart rhythm, also known as atrial fibrillation, is the cause of many strokes and heart failures. Your risk of having this condition is increased for every standard drink a day, according to the experts. Standard drink is defined as 340ml of 5 percent strength beer and 140ml of 2 percent strength wine.

In previous studies, excessive drinking is known to trigger this so called atrial fibrillation, but then recent research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that even light drinking can actually trigger the condition.

Scientists explain that it is because alcohol affects the contraction of the heart muscles which also interferes with the system responsible for controlling pulse and breathing rates. Certain tissues also build within the heart due to drinking and that affects the heart rate.

Lead researcher Professor Peter Kistler, from the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, said: "There has been a lot of attention in recent years about the benefits of drinking small amounts of alcohol for the heart."

"The results are significant, since chances are, there are people who are consuming one to two glasses of alcohol per day that may not realize they are putting themselves at risk for irregular heartbeat."

This means that alcohol consumption should be controlled and limited especially for those people who are experiencing irregular heartbeats, especially now that the holidays are upon us.

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