Obama's Physical: 'Fit for Duty' but Still a Smoker

(March 1) -- President Barack Obama gave a thumbs-up to reporters on Sunday after completing his first physical exam since taking office, and, for the most part, his doctors agree. Except for that cigarette habit.

Obama underwent a 90-minute series of routine, age-appropriate pokes and prods at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Jeff Kuhlman, Obama's doctor and the head of the White House medical unit, pronounced him "fit for duty" and added that the president will likely "remain so for the duration of his presidency."

Unlike 75 percent of adult American men, Obama's weight remains within a healthy range. At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, his body mass index is 23.7. Anything over 25 is considered "overweight."

And the self-professed exercise aficionado and basketball player is also reaping the benefits of a consistent exercise routine. His resting heart rate, 56, is lower than the average minimum threshold of 60 -- a marker of "a well-trained athlete," according to the Mayo Clinic.

Obama's blood pressure, 105/62, is also enviably low. High blood pressure, defined as anything above 140/90, afflicts one in three American adults, according to the American Heart Association.

But the athletic president is also showing signs of wear and tear, including "grind" on his left knee and a chronic case of tendinitis, which Kuhlman recommended addressing with "a lower extremity muscle strengthening program."

And despite his family's allegiance to healthy eating, including their own organic vegetable garden, Obama's cholesterol levels have spiked since he took office. Since 2008, the president's LDL -- "bad" -- cholesterol has increased from 96 to 138. His overall levels were a little high, at 209 compared to a healthy limit of 200.

Dietary changes, like eating more saturated fat or fried food and fewer fruits and vegetables, could trigger higher cholesterol levels. But genetics and aging, even for an otherwise healthy person, are also a possible culprit.

Then there's the smoking. Although first lady Michelle Obama had insisted her husband quit the habit before his presidential bid, he's still puffing away. In his medical report, Kuhlman suggested that Obama "continue smoking cessation efforts," and noted that the president had been using nicotine replacement therapy in an effort to kick the habit.

Despite his ongoing struggle with cigarette addiction, Obama remains in tip-top shape, compared to most American men his age.

But he's got at least one presidential predecessor who'd likely outdo him -- in the doctor's office, and at the gym. In 2007, George Bush was ranked in the 99th health percentile of men aged 60-64, and his medical report listed the then-president as a six-day-a-week exercise fanatic who avoided soda, alcohol, prescription medications -- and cigarettes.