WASHINGTON &mash; President Obama continues to struggle to quit smoking and has a slightly elevated cholesterol level, according to the doctor who conducted his physical Sunday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
The exam lasted about an hour and a half, and the president is in good health, according to a summary by the physician who performed the exam, Dr. Jeff Kuhlman.
The report said the president weighed in at 179.9 pounds with his shoes and workout clothes on. He has an enviable body mass index of 23.7, but his doctor wants him to modify his diet to get his LDL cholesterol, now 138, below 130. The president is still using nicotine replacement therapy and the doctor's recommendations include continuing his smoking cessation efforts.
Kuhlman recommended the president have his next physical when he turns 50, in August 2011.
While at the hospital, the president also visited a dozen service members injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.