Trump's doctor said he's 'fit for duty' but needs to lose 10-15 pounds

Thomson Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation to honor Martin Luther King Jr. day in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington

• President Donald Trump is in excellent cognitive and physical shape, according to his personal physician, Admiral Ronny Jackson.
• Trump, however, has high cholesterol and is overweight for his height. Jackson recommends that Trump should lose between 10-15 pounds through a combination of exercise and dieting.
• Trump is the oldest president ever to assume office, but Jackson isn't concerned about his mental health.

President Donald Trump is in excellent cognitive and physical shape, but he could stand to lose a few pounds, his personal physician.

Trump - the oldest president ever to assume office - underwent his first physical exam as president last week, and Admiral Ronny Jackson, the president's doctor, gave him a clean bill of health.

"The President is very healthy and will remain so for the duration of his presidency," Jackson said at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

Trump is 71 years old, weighs 239 pounds, and takes a few daily medications. That list includes 10 milligrams of Crestor to lower his cholesterol, 81 milligrams of aspirin daily, Propecia for male-pattern baldness, a topical cream to treat rosacea, and a multivitamin for daily health.

Cholesterol levels could be problematic

Jackson measured Trump's total cholesterol level at 223 milligrams per deciliter. His LDL cholesterol (commonly understood as the bad kind) is 143 milligrams per deciliter, a level Jackson said is worrisome. According to the CDC, total cholesterol levels over 200 are unhealthy, and LDL cholesterol levels over 100 are considered unhealthy.

Jackson said he is increasing Trump's Crestor dose to further lower his LDL cholesterol levels, and hopes to get them below 120.

While Jackson said Trump is in excellent health, he added that he will come up with a diet and exercise plan to help him to lose between 10 and 15 pounds over the next year. Trump is overweight for his height, and just a hair below the Center for Disease Control's obesity threshold with a body mass index of 29.9. (According to the CDC, a BMI of over 30 indicates obesity.)

Jackson said he'd like Trump to exercise more, though the president was more enthusiastic about modifying his diet to lose weight, rather increasing his daily exercise. According to Jackson, nutritionists will come to the White House and work with the chefs there to create a healthy diet plan that Trump can follow.

Beyond his weight, Trump's cardiac health is "excellent" for his age, the doctor said, and his heart rate, dental, and ear, nose, and throat health are also good.

Jackson has 'absolutely no concerns' about Trump's cognitive function

Trump also requested a cognitive exam, which Jackson said is not usually part of a regular check-up. Jackson said he has "absolutely no concerns" about Trump's cognitive ability or neurological functioning, but nonetheless administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which measures age-related cognitive issues like dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.

Trump scored a perfect 30/30 on the test, which Jackson said is longer and more rigorous than other cognitive exams. Jackson added that he's been around the president almost every day since Trump was inaugurated, and has no concerns over the president's mental fitness.

Trump's mental fitness has been a subject of debate and speculation in recent weeks, but the president has called himself a "very stable genius".

"The President is very sharp and articulate," Jackson said. "I've never known him to repeat himself around me. I have no reason whatsoever to think that the president has an issue with his thought process."

Jackson said Trump's owes some of his good health to a lifetime of abstaining from alcohol and smoking.

"The president is fit for duty," Jackson said. "He's fit for the remainder of this term, and the next term if he's elected."