Apparently healthy but fat.
That’s the assessment of medical professionals reviewing the physician’s letter reporting on the health of presidential candidate Donald J. Trump, 70.
“He looks pretty healthy, if those numbers are real,” though critical information is missing, said Barton Inkeles, M.D., an internist who was affiliated with Lenox Hill and NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals before retiring recently.
At 6-foot-3 and 236 pounds, Trump is not only overweight, but on the borderline of obesity, noted Kristin Misik, a nutritionist and acupuncturist at 43rd Street Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Misik was unsatisfied by the one-page recitation of medical test results, and said Trump’s proud consumption of junk food was a concern. “To me, there’s not enough information to say he’s fine – no way!” said Misik.
Here’s what the medical mavens said about some of Trump’s health, as relayed in a letter written by his physician, Harold N. Bornstein:
6’3” and 236 pounds
“He’s very fat. . . . I would tell him to lose some weight,” said Inkeles, noting Trump would be healthier if his scale’s needle wavered between 210 to 215 pounds.
Misik agreed, noting the candidate’s aversion to alcohol and tobacco “is probably saving him from death.” She also thought it would be healthier for everyone if he would also stop proclaiming his affection for junk food. “What a terrible role model for a country that has an obesity epidemic!” she exclaimed, dubbing Trump’s diet “extremely toxic.”
Cholesterol 169, HDL cholesterol 63, LDL cholesterol 94, triglycerides 61, PSA 0.15, blood pressure 116/70
“What’s especially good about his cholesterol is that he has a high HDL (good cholesterol),” said Inkeles. “Anything above 50 is good and anything above 60 is pretty damn good.” But the statin Trump takes – rosuvastatin – can be credited for his great cholesterol levels, not his health habits, Inkeles noted. This particular candidate “doesn’t have pent up anger,” Inkeles observed, which can worsen blood pressure.
Blood sugar 99 and C Reactive Protein UQ 0.7, clean colonoscopy with no polyps and a calcium score of 98
“His blood sugar is in the range (of healthy) but he’s at the very high end of that range. If you’re at the high end, insulin resistance is the first thing that happens before you get to Type 2 diabetes,” said Misik. Trump’s C-Reactive Protein, which indicates inflammation in the body, is at a healthy level but “junk food is pro-inflammatory,” Misik warned.
According to Radiology Info, a calcium score of 11 – 100 indicates evidence of mild coronary artery disease but the test “is a little bit subjective,” and not all docs agree as to its importance, noted Inkeles.
Normal EKG and chest X-ray with a transthoracic echocardiogram
“He hasn’t had a heart attack that we know of and no problems with his heart rhythm or having an enlarged heart. . . . 85 to 90% of heart attacks will show up on an EKG,” said Inkeles. But what is “glaringly absent” from the letter is any mention of the results of a cardiac stress test, Inkeles continued. “It’s an obvious omission,” as a stress test is the “gold standard” in indicating heart disease “short of an angiogram, which is invasive,” said Inkeles. “Did he have one? We don’t know.”
Testosterone 441.6
Nothing remarkable about The Donald’s testosterone level, said Inkeles, adding the candidate seems to have “a lot of energy.” People always want to know about the health of candidates but one of the most important aspects of fitness for office – mental health – lacks good objective measures, Inkeles lamented.
