President Donald Trump is overweight but not quite obese and while he struggles to control his cholesterol, he has no indication of heart disease, his physician said Tuesday.
In other words, he's in pretty good shape for an American.
Most Americans are overweight and most have at least one of the problems that go along with that: unhealthy cholesterol levels, high blood pressure or diabetes.
Overall, 70.7 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese, with more than 36 percent clinically obese.
An estimated 73 million American adults have high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
And about 46 percent have high blood pressure. Trump is not one of them, his physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, told reporters.
Related: New blood pressure guidelines mean yours might be too high now
Trump also has healthy blood sugar levels, indicating he does not have diabetes.
Trump is 75 inches tall, making him 6 feet, three inches tall. He weighs 239 pounds, which gives him a body mass index (BMI) of 29.9. That squeaks right under a BMI of 30, which would make Trump obese. He is, however, overweight.
BMI is the standard indicator of obesity and overweight. A BMI of under 25 is considered normal, but Trump would have to lose 40 pounds to get there. (You can caclulate your own BMI here)
“He would benefit from a diet that is lower in fat and carbohydrates, and from a routine exercise regimen,” Jackson said.
Trump has unhealthy cholesterol levels and Jackson said he would adjust a statin medication that Trump takes to control his cholesterol.
Related: Trump is in good health
“In order to further reduce his cholesterol level and further decrease his cardiac risk, we will increase the dose of this particular medication,” he said.
About 28 percent of American men and women over age 40 take a statin, the CDC says.
Trump had the annual physical that is customary for presidents at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Friday.
Jackson, who’s the official physician to the president, said he did not see anything unusual — especially not for a 71-year-old American.
Because Trump has blustered about his health before, there had been suspicions among some critics that the White House might conceal evidence that he is mentally or physically unfit for office.
Jackson, who also served as former president Barack Obama’s official physician, denied anything has been hidden.
“I can promise you there is absolutely nothing that I’m withholding from this,” Jackson said.
“I can tell you … I have been involved in the last six or seven of these and this is hands-down more information that has been put forth by any other information to date.”
Trump’s vitals:
- Age:71 years and 7 months
- Height: 75 inches
- Weight: 239 pounds
- Resting Heart Rate: 68 (normal)
- Blood Pressure: 122/74 (normal)
- Cholesterol: 223 (elevated)
