U.S. President Donald Trump is in “excellent health,” including his cognitive abilities, according to his White House doctor.
Trump’s physician, Navy doctor Ronny Jackson, administered a medical checkup on Friday last week.
Along with listing Trump’s vitals, including his height (6’3”), weight (239 lbs) and blood pressure (122/74). His cholesterol was 223, which is higher than recommended – as such, the president takes Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering medication.
Jackson also said he administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Trump received a score of 30 out of 30.
Though cognitive tests aren’t normally part of routine physicals, Trump requested one specifically after questions abounded about his mental stability – some of which appear in a new book about the first year of his presidency.
Trump himself countered the claims on Twitter earlier this month, saying he was a “very stable genius.”
READ MORE: Donald Trump defends mental stability on Twitter, says he’s a ‘very stable genius’
The doctor gave Trump praise for his cardiovascular health, crediting Trump’s lack of alcohol and tobacco consumption for the high score.
But Jackson did say he had concerns about Trump’s diet and exercise and has recommended some changes.
“He would benefit from a diet that is lower in fat and carbohydrates,” Jackson said, saying he’d like to see Trump lose 10-15 lbs within the next year.
Jackson says that based on the clinical information he has on Trump and his year of observing the president, “I feel very confident that he has a very strong and a very probable possibility of making it completely through his presidency with no medical issues.”
Trump was 70 when he took office, making him the oldest person ever elected to the U.S.’s highest office.
Other medication Trump takes includes low-dose Aspirin for heart health, some antibiotics for skin rosacea and Propecia for baldness.
What is the MoCA?
The MoCA was picked because it was a more in-depth screening of cognitive ability, Jackson explained.
Developed in Montreal in 1996, it was designed to measure “mild cognitive impairment” according to the Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery.
Ziad Nasreddine, the Canadian immigrant who designed the test, said the exam doesn’t test for everything: it doesn’t examine judgment, or personality, and in certain cases, he says, it can be duped by an extremely educated subject.
The test is normally around 10-15 minutes long and includes questions which test attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuoconstructional skills, conceptual thinking, calculations and orientation, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The average grade for the 30-point test is 27.4, though a score over 26 is considered “normal.”
Jackson explained that the test is designed to reveal evidence of Alzheimer’s disease or other issues.
You can view the report of his medical exam here.
*with files from the Associated Press and the Canadian Press