May 12, 2010

By Paul Briand, Journalist & Baby Boomer Expert

Poll numbers aside, the number that really counts in the current and future life of President Obama is the cholesterol count he received recently as part of his annual physical.

The numbers were a tad high for Obama, on the young side of the Baby Boomer generation, but old enough to begin to show the signs of age – both obvious and hidden.

The cholesterol count is a hidden number because, to look at Obama, one might not think he would have a cholesterol issue. He’s thin. He’s physically active.

But the numbers tell a different story.

The Associated Press report about the results of Obama’s first presidential physical noted that his total cholesterol and so-called bad, or LDL, cholesterol had both spiked into the borderline high range since his last reported exam in 2007.

The culprit, according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, is too many cheeseburgers and desserts, especially now that he has a kitchen staff and pastry chef at his disposal.

But Obama and his handlers can’t be too flip to argue the Twinkie defense.

Other conditions might be contributing to the president’s poor performance when it comes to his cholesterol numbers.

Family history might be at play. His body, because of his genetic make-up, might not be doing as good a job as it otherwise might to scrub out the cholesterol from his body.

The body needs cholesterol, a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and other cells and found in certain foods. We need it to produce hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat.

But we don’t want too much of it. With too much cholesterol, a thick deposit called plaque collects in the body’s arteries narrowing the space for blood to flow to the heart. Over time, this buildup causes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries); that can lead to heart disease.

As we get older, cholesterol levels rise as a natural course of aging, which is why we’re encouraged in middle age to know what the numbers are for the good cholesterol in our bodies (HDL), the bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. A blood test is needed to determine the counts, and it’s usually done each year.

We don’t know exactly what Obama’s numbers were but if he’s borderline high, as the story suggested, it means his bad cholesterol number is somewhere between 200 and 239.

Doctors like to see that number comfortably below 200.

To relieve the problem, there is diet, which has been suggested as the course for Obama: Fewer sweets and fatty foods, and regular exercise. Ultimately, however, his doctors will have to determine if diet and exercise are sufficient enough to address his numbers.

If not, they may recommend a daily regimen of a drug to control the liver’s production of cholesterol. The most popular are the statins … think Lipitor and the statin generics.

Obama belies what many might expect of someone with borderline high cholesterol. He’s incredibly active, given his hectic schedule. He is not overweight. Yet his cholesterol numbers are higher than they should be.

It just goes to show that looks can be deceiving, and that when it comes to cholesterol, only the numbers will tell the true story.

Paul Briand spent 33 years in newspaper journalism. Based in New Hampshire, he now writes about issues of interest to Baby Boomers.

Read more of Paul Briand’s work for AccessRx.com here.

Read even more of Paul Briand’s published articles here.