Bush blames 'too many doughnuts' for weight gain

George Bush

BETHESDA, MARYLAND - US President George W Bush was declared to be in "superior" health after his annual physical exam on Saturday but lamented a weight gain he blamed on months of campaign travel.

"Although I think the doctor put out a report that shows me to be physically fit -- I'm still able to get on the stress test -- I'm a little overweight," he said.

"Therefore, I fully intend to lose some inches off my waistline and pounds off my frame. But other than that, I feel great."

Bush, 58, said it was clear he had just gone through a campaign after he stepped on the scale during his exam at the National Naval Medical Centre in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.

"I've obviously have gone through a campaign where I probably ate too many doughnuts, if you get my drift" he said.

The nearly 183cm Bush weighs just shy of 91kg. His weight had crept up from 88kg at his last physical in August 2003.

Although many people often remark on Bush's fitness, his weight gain gives him a body mass index of 27, putting him in the category of the more than 60 percent of Americans who are overweight. A body mass index of 25 or above is considered overweight.

But Bush's blood pressure and pulse were in a very healthy range, in keeping with his fitness habits of working out six times per week.

A team of 10 doctors led by Richard Tubb, Bush's personal physician, and Kenneth Cooper, head of the Cooper Aerobics Centre, issued a statement saying they "find him to be fit for duty and have every reasonable expectation that he will remain fit for duty for the duration of his presidency".

The doctors described Bush's health as being in the top fifth percentile for a man his age.

Elaborating on the physical exam, White House spokesman Claire Buchan said, "They determined that he is in superior health overall for a man his age."

Bush, who was an avid runner for decades, had to give up that sport after he suffered knee problems. He now does elliptical training, mountain biking, weight training and stretching to keep fit.

Bush no longer drinks alcohol and prides himself on physical fitness.

The president's body fat percentage rose to 18.25, within the normal range but above the 14.5 percent of his last physical. His resting heart rate was 52 beats per minute and his blood pressure is also a healthy 110 over 60.

During the exam, Bush had removed a lesion caused by being in the sun and the doctors told him a few more small spots should be frozen off later. These are normal for light-skinned people who spend a lot of time outside.

Bush does not routinely take any medications but does take vitamins and supplements called chondroitin and glucosamine. Many people believe this combination can prevent and treat arthritis and other joint problems but it is an unproven alternative remedy.

He has an occasional cigar and drinks diet sodas and coffee, the doctors noted.

The latest exam would normally have taken place in August but Bush delayed it by four months because of the campaign.

- REUTERS