A new study, published in the British Medical Journal, examined the association between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease. The researchers found that low alcohol consumption was associated with a better cardiovascular profile and a lower risk of coronary artery disease. The benefits of reducing alcohol consumption were apparent even with light to moderate drinkers.

This new research is a disappointing contradiction with previous conclusions that red wine could be heart healthy. The Mayo Clinic explains that red wine has an ingredient called resveratrol, which can increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is the “good” type of cholesterol. In doing so, resveratrol can protect against artery damage. However, doctors do not want people to start drinking wine due to the numerous adverse effects of alcohol consumption.

The current study confirms those concerns. According to Medical News Today, this research goes beyond the existing research by looking at light and moderate alcohol consumption. Based on research thus far, there is no dispute that heavy consumption of alcohol is damaging to the cardiovascular system.

It is important to note that the study uses a proxy for lower alcohol consumption, rather than a representative cross-section of the population with the different levels of alcohol consumption. The proxy is a genetic variant that leads to rapid breakdown of alcohol with a number of symptoms, usually linked with lower alcohol consumption.

The study used the presence of the gene to indicate lower alcohol consumption and then determined whether or not there was a cardiovascular link. However, the presence of this gene is racially disparate. According to Bloomberg News, it is common for people of East Asian descent to be carriers of this variant, but only seven percent of Europeans carry it. This means that the results could be linked to the alcohol consumption, race, or another unknown variable.