Donald Trump offers a summary of physical exam results during TV interview

Trump nonetheless refuses to hand over full report as some had expected

Donald Trump will appear on a tabloid medical show Thursday evening where he is expected to provide unprecedented insight into his medical history - though perhaps not as much as his critics would have liked.

The Republican has already given a one-page summary of his latest medical exam to Dr Mehmet Oz, details of which are set to be discussed this evening.

According to audience reports from the taping of the show in New York on Wednesday, Mr Trump also expressed some personal remorse about his weight - he will reportedly reveal his weight on the show - and eating too much fast food on the campaign trail.

If the 70-year-old's BMI turns out to be either "overweight" or "obsese", the result would run counter to his personal physician's claim last month that Mr Trump would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to presidency".

He also reportedly said on the show that he plays golf to stay in shape and kisses his daughter, Ivanka, at "every chance he gets".

Still unknown, however, is whether the campaign will be willing to release a full version of the examination, which he is thought to have undergone a week ago.

In the wake of Hillary Clinton’s admission that newly diagnosed pneumonia was behind her swooning episode at a 9/11 memorial service in New York on Sunday, Mr Trump said on Monday that he would be issuing “very, very specific numbers” following a recent physical exam.

Then on Tuesday Dr Oz, who first rose to television fame after being a regular guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, said he expected to quiz Mr Trump about those results.

"It’s his personal records. I want to ask him pointed questions about his health,“ he said.

That may not be exactly what happened - the full extent of the on-set conversation won't be known until the show is actually aired - but a press statement released by the show said Dr Oz had taken Mr Trump through a view of all his health systems, from cardiac function to "head and neck" and "respiratory health".

If so, that would surely be the first time a US presidential candidate has had such conversation under the glare of television cameras.

Because only a summary of results was on offer, the discussion may have fallen short of a full interrogation of Mr Trump's health that Dr Oz seemed to promise earlierin the week, however. On Wednesday, Hope Hicks, the candidate’s spokesperson, said that delivering the physical results, in full form, to Dr Oz had been “considered, given the timing and platform,” but the plan was “never finalised".

Left unanswered now is when Mr Trump's health status and medical history in full form might be released, if they ever will. Both candidates this year have fallen far short of the precedent set by John McCain. When he was the Republican nominee in 2008, he released over 1,000 pages of medical records, in part because he had suffered previously from skin cancer.

Mr Trump does not have the best record on transparency. Democrats continue to press him to release his tax records, in accordance with modern tradition for candidates running for the White House, but there is so far no suggestion whatsoever that he intends to comply.

It seems that the Dr Oz segment, which was originally seized on by the Trump team as an opportunity to reach out to women, who make up the bulk of the show's viewership, will also see him talking in general terms about topics like health care and his proposals this week to offer subsidies for infant child care. Ivanka Trump, his daughter, will also appear on the set.

Certainly, Mr Trump will face questions on his vision for future health policy. He has regularly vowed on the campaign trail to scrap the Obamacare reforms introduced by President Barack Obama but rarely gives any clear indication of what he would propose instead.

“I do think people want to understand, well, what happens to my health care if Mr Trump is elected, and more importantly, what kind of role model is he for health in our country?” Dr Oz said before the taping.

As for his own physical condition, Mr Trump, who is 70, could perhaps use some gentle scolding about his eating habits - he has posed in pictures with fast-food favourites like taco-bowls and deep fried chicken - but his latest cholesterol or blood-sugar levels are unlikely to be featured. He will reportedly reveal, however, that he takes medication to keep his cholesterol levels down.

Ms Clinton is due to resume campaigning on Thursday after taking a three-day doctor’s-orders rest at her Chappaqua home in New York. As Democrats have watched nervously for any negative fall-out from her brief break from the campaign circuit - and also from her failure to divulge it when first diagnosed with pneumonia last Friday - they have also sought to put a tighter focus on Mr Trump’s own fitness.

In a bid to quell rumours about her health, Ms Clinton released more information from her physician, Dr Lisa Bardack, who said that the Democrat's physical exam on Wednesday this week was "normal" and that she was in "excellent mental condition". Ms Clinton also revealed her blood pressure of 100/70 - normal for her age - and low cholesterol.

"She continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as president of the United States," Dr Bardack wrote.

Vice President Joe Biden has gently joked that if he would expect to out-run Mr Trump if they went jogging together. Mr Biden, once thought a possible nominee for the Democrats, is 73 years old.

Senator Harry Reid, the most senior Democrat in Congress, was more pointed. “He’s 70 years old, he’s not slim and trim,” he said. “He brags about eating fast food every day.”