If President Donald Trump were a battery, he would be a 243-pound battery. That's based on a new February 14 memo from White House physician Sean P. Conley, DO.
No, Dr. Conley's memo about Trump's February 8, 2019, physical exam didn't say that Trump is a battery. That would have been an unusual finding. The battery reference is from an article in The New Yorker and the book Trump Revealed, which claimed that Trump “believed the human body was like a battery, with a finite amount of energy, which exercise only depleted."
Instead, here's Conley's latest memo regarding Trump's physical exam:
Trump medical report out —> pic.twitter.com/moMcAS0Ksa
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) February 14, 2019
As you can see, this newest memo offers a bit more details than Dr. Conley's February 8, 2019, memo, which wouldn't have been very hard to do. As I described previously for Forbes, the earlier memo included a rather unusual guarantee, stating that Trump is “in very good health" and "will remain so for the duration of his Presidency, and beyond,” without really explaining the reasons for such a conclusion. Batteries may have warranties and guarantees but typically not human adults.
As this newer memo described, the annual physical exam lasted approximately four hours, a bit longer than the physical exams that most insurance plans will typically support. The memo stated that eleven different specialists were involved, which really doesn't say too much. That's as vague as saying, I had dinner, and eleven different food items were involved.
What specific findings did this new memo provide? Well, it says that Trump is 72 years in age, 6'3" in height, and 243 pounds in weight. Trump didn't seem grow any taller but he apparently is four pounds heavier than his reported weight last year. This new height-weight combination would translate to a body mass index (BMI) of 30.4. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) web site includes a BMI calculator and a list of the following BMI Categories:
- Underweight = <18.5
- Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
- Overweight = 25–29.9
- Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
Thus, Trump's BMI would place him in the obesity category. Those who fall within this category tend to be at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and various other chronic diseases. When it comes to this BMI, Trump would not be alone. In America, about a third of adults (or over 78 million) have obesity.
According to the memo, "there were no findings of significance or changes to report on his physical exam." There is some subjectivity to this statement since "significance" can be a relative term. Additionally, Dr. Conley did not provide the list of the medications that Trump is taking. Instead, he only mentioned an increase in Trump's dose of a cholesterol-lowering medication, rosuvastatin, to 40 mg a day.
Dr. Conley also relayed that lab tests measuring Trump's liver, kidney, and thyroid function, blood count, and electrolytes were all normal. The only specific laboratory values listed were his total cholesterol (196 mg/dL), HDL (58) and LDL (122). Here is how these values compare to healthy levels as listed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine:
| Type of Cholesterol | Healthy Level |
|---|---|
| Total Cholesterol | 125 to 200mg/dL |
| Non-HDL | Less than 130mg/dL |
| LDL | Less than 100mg/dL |
| HDL | 40mg/dL or higher |
Oh, and here's something for anti-vaxxers to consider. Per Dr. Conley, Trump received the Pneumovax 23 (to protect against bacteria that can cause pneumonia) and Shingrix (to protect against Shingles) vaccines.
After last year's physical exam, then White House physician Ronny Jackson, MD had recommended that Trump get more exercise and lower the amount of fat and carbohydrates in his diet with the goal of losing 10 to 15 pounds, according to David Jackson and Jayne O'Donnell writing for USA Today. Dr. Jackson had said that Trump was "more enthusiastic about the diet part than the exercise part."
Given these latest physical exam findings and what science has shown, Trump's battery theory may not be the best one for him (or anyone else) to follow. Regular exercise is an important pillar of weight management and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There's no reason to fear that exercise will somehow deplete your remaining energy stores as long as the exercise doesn't cause serious injuries. In an article for Reuters about a year ago, Jeff Mason and Steve Holland quoted Trump as saying, “I get exercise. I mean I walk, I this, I that. I run over to a building next door. I get more exercise than people think.” It isn't clear how often and regularly Trump thises and thats. But presumably Dr. Conley reviewed this and that and determined whether Trump needed to this, that, or the other thing more.
Dr. Conley's memo didn't mention the specifics of Trump's regular diet or any of his recommended changes to Trump's diet. According to a Bloomberg article by Jennifer Jacobs and Shannon Petty, Trump had tried to cut down on fast food intake after last year's physical exam. However, it's unclear how long those changes may have lasted, given his reported affinity towards fast food. For example, when the Clemson University football team visited the White House last month, the regular White House caterers were unavailable due to the partial government shutdown. Therefore, Trump decided to order out, which resulted in a buffet of fast food. During the visit, as reported by CNBC, Trump said, "We have 300 hamburgers, many, many french fries, all of our favorite foods."
Of course, diet and exercise alone may not guarantee weight loss. Obesity is a complex problem, and many Americans struggle with it despite lifestyle changes. And the health risks associated with obesity are very real.
