A new study challenges the widely held belief that a glass or two of alcohol may be good for the heart, CBS News reported.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that reducing even light consumption of alcoholic beverages will improve cardiovascular health, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, and lower body mass index and blood pressure.

"In our study, we saw a link between a reduced consumption of alcohol and improved cardiovascular health, regardless of whether the individual was a light, moderate or heavy drinker," Juan Casas, senior author of the study, told CBS News.

Furthermore, researchers 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, CBS reported.

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 body mass index.

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

Contrary to what earlier reports have shown, the recent findings suggest that any exposure to alcohol has a negative impact on heart health.

"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. "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."

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.

The findings were recently published in The BMJ.