Butter should be banned to protect the nation's health, according to a leading heart surgeon.

Shyam Kolvekar says only radical action can save growing numbers of young adults from heart attacks and clogged arteries.

Warning of the dangers of other foods high in saturated fat, he advises people to eat less red meat, take low-fat milk and switch to olive and sunflower oil.

Saturated fat is blamed for a third of the 200,000 premature deaths from heart disease a year.

Adults are eating an average of 800 grams of it a month — 20% more than the recommended limit. Hitting the recommended level could save 3,500 lives a year, says Kolvekar.

However, according to Miriam Stoppard of Mirror.co.uk, you can still enjoy a bit of butter. She writes: “London-based cardiologist Shyam Kolvekar's motive may be spot on, but this simplistic approach misses the point.

“Singling out butter isn't the answer. A couple of decades ago dairy foods were our main source of saturated fat but now there are lots more processed and fast foods around, many of which are also high in this type of fat.

“Banning one food won't address the problem, just as a sliver of butter won't kill an otherwise healthy person on a generally healthy diet.”