Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney takes aspirin and Lipitor daily, but is in overall very good health, his personal physician says.
Dr. Randall Gaz, Romney’s physician since 1989, said that the candidate takes a daily dose of 81 mg aspirin and 10 mg Lipitor. Gaz, of Massachusetts General Hospital, said that the former Massachusetts governor doesn’ t take any other medicine on a daily basis. Gaz also said that Romney, 65, “appears years younger than his age” and “takes excellent care of his health.”
Because of his family history, Romney is monitored for prostate cancer as well as heart disease. His father, politician George Romney, died of a heart attack at age 88.
The epidemic of heart disease among men isn’t limited to those with a family history of it. It’s the leading cause of death in American men, and according to the latest available statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control, 9.4% of all white men, 7.8% of black men, and 5.3% of Mexican American men are living with coronary heart disease.
Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, 42, also has a family history of heart disease, with Ryan’s father suffering a fatal attack at age 44. And his grandfather succumbed to heart disease at age 57. Because of that, Ryan has famously stayed fit through a rigorous exercise program.
A letter from Ryan’s physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, attending physician of the U.S. Congress, said that Ryan’s “overall health is excellent.”
It’s customary for candidates’ physicians to release a health assessment in order to say that they are physically able to perform the duties of President and Vice President.
