Close, But No Cigar


Obama still using nicotene replacement to fight smoking

By Margaret Talev
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON:
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 nicotene replacement therapy and the doctor's recommendations include continuing his smoking cessation efforts.

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The president might want to switch to nicotine therapy. The results of nicotene therapy are unproven.