President Donald Trump is in excellent physical and mental health but needs to lose weight, according to a White House doctor.
The results of the President's first physical exam has piqued both public and media attention. It was Trump himself who authorized White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson to share to the media his medical records, which revealed information on his physical and mental health.
Trump's physical tests show that he is fit for duty and will remain at that until the end of his term. Jackson, a longtime White House physician, said Trump could live up to 200 years if only he watches what he eats, follows a low-fat diet, and maintains an exercise routine.
Trump, now 71 years old, weighs 239 pounds (108 kilograms), stands at 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 meters). Based on his height and weight, he has a body mass index of 30.3 and is considered overweight and borderline obese. He was advised to lose 5 to 10 pounds.
The President takes maintenance medicine for his high cholesterol and has no exercise other than his golf sessions.
Physical And Mental Health
Trump's blood pressure level is within the normal range at 122/74 and his resting heart rate is 68 beats per minute. His cholesterol of 223, which is higher than normal, could be a cause for concern according to doctors.
"He is a male and he is in his 70s and he is overweight, borderline obese, and he has high cholesterol. Those four factors alone put him at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease," says Ranit Mishori, attending physician at the Georgetown University-Providence Hospital.
As for his mental health, Trump aced his cognitive assessment with a score of perfect 30. Jackson said Trump has no mental or cognitive issues and is in excellent health.
"I am also very glad that he had cognitive ability tests. These comprehensive tests are psychometric assessments designed to measure general intelligence. They look at the cognitive ability of a person to deal with numerical, verbal, abstract, spatial and mechanical reasoning. This helps to measure normal brain health and it could pick up a decline in function. And, of course, it would help to pick up things like Alzheimer's or age-related dementia," says Jackson.
Trump is the first U.S. president to undergo cognitive ability tests. He insisted on taking the assessment to put to rest concerns about his mental capacity.
#Girther Storms Twitter
Revelation of Trump's physical records has spawned a twitterstorm called the #Girther movement.
The "girther" movement that went viral on Twitter hours after the White House press briefing is a play on the controversial "birther" movement from 2011 which Trump himself revived to allege that former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore ineligible to be president.
Trump's #girthers on Twitter believe that the President weighs more than the White House doctor declared. Photos of Trump being compared with other men, mostly athletes, with the same weight and height are posted on the social media site.
