TORONTO (Canadian Press) -- A new study says even moderate alcohol consumption may put older adults with heart disease or diabetes at risk of suffering from a form of arrhythmia.

The study suggests that people aged 55 and older with heart disease or diabetes are at higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation if their alcohol intake is moderate to high.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of arrhythmia, a condition involving an irregular heart rhythm.

People who have atrial fibrillation are at significantly higher risk of having a stroke than people who don't have the condition.

The study is based on data drawn from two other trials that followed more than 30,000 adults for more than four years.

The work, done by scientists from McMaster University in Hamilton, is published in this week's Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The Canadian Press, 2012