Drinking alcohol provides no heart health benefit, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that reducing the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed, even for light-to-moderate drinkers, may improve cardiovascular health, including a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, lower body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure.

"These new results are critically important to our understanding of how alcohol affects heart disease," Michael Holmes, co-lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Holmes added that contrary to what earlier reports have shown, it now appears that any exposure to alcohol has a negative impact upon heart health.

"For some time, observational studies have suggested that only heavy drinking was detrimental to cardiovascular health, and that light consumption may actually be beneficial. This has led some people to drink moderately based on the belief that it would lower their risk of heart disease," Holmes said. "However, what we're seeing with this new study, which uses an investigative approach similar to a randomized clinical trial, is that reduced consumption of alcohol, even for light-to-moderate drinkers, may lead to improved cardiovascular health."

For the study, the research team reviewed evidence from more than 50 studies that linked drinking habits and cardiovascular health for more than 260,000 people.

They found that individuals who carry a specific gene -- variant of the "alcohol dehydrogenase 1B" -- a gene which typically leads to lower alcohol consumption over time have, on average, superior cardiovascular health records. Specifically, the results show that individuals who consume 17 percent less alcohol per week have on average a 10 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease, lower blood pressure and a lower BMI.

The alcohol dehydrogenase 1B is known to breakdown alcohol at a quicker pace. This rapid breakdown causes unpleasant symptoms including nausea and facial flushing, and has been found to lead to lower levels of alcohol consumption over time

The findings were recently published in The BMJ.