Bernie Sanders Officially Declared Fit as a Fiddle

Bernie Sanders is in "overall very good health," according to a medical history released Thursday by his presidential campaign. A one-page letter said the 74-year-old Vermont senator had been treated in the past for ailments such as gout, high cholesterol, and laryngitis, the AP reports. He underwent hernia surgery earlier this year but is in good shape, his doctor said. "You are in overall very good health and active in your professional work, and recreational lifestyle without limitation," wrote Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the US Congress. He has treated Sanders for 26 years.

If elected, Sanders would be the oldest president to assume office, surpassing Ronald Reagan, who was 69 when he entered the White House. Sanders has said his age would not affect his ability to serve and frequently points to his background as a cross-country runner in high school as a sign of his fitness and athletic prowess. His doctor wrote that Sanders' "general physical examination was normal" and that he has no history of cardiovascular disease. Sanders underwent an elective outpatient hernia repair procedure in late November at George Washington University Hospital in Washington and was back at work in the Senate the next day. (More Bernie Sanders stories.)