Drummers have better motor control

Q: My son Toby signed up to play the drums in his school band — against my advice. I do like the discipline playing the drums requires, but I’m not sure it’s really a musical instrument and I dread the noise factor. Should I encourage or discourage him from his choice? — Andrew F., Bethesda, Maryland

A: While playing any instrument enhances neural pathways and requires practice, stamina and an ongoing commitment, a recent study from Germany highlights the unique benefits of drumming: Turns out drummers’ motor control and coordination far surpasses that of untrained people.

Drummers can play different rhythms with each hand simultaneously. And while almost every musical instrument requires the use of two hands, brain imaging shows that the area of the brain connecting the left and right spheres (corpus callous) was many times stronger in drummers.

Now, that brings us to your other area of concern: living with the noise of a beginning drummer. You could wear noise-canceling headphones, but these days, much of the learning can be done quietly! Electronic (versus acoustic) drum sets can have cymbals, a snare, tom toms and bass drums, and you can assign volume and pitch to stick velocity. The player can listen on headphones!

Q: Why should I cut down on sugar? Every cell in your body needs glucose and the brain uses it big time. — Dorothy M., Kalamazoo, Michigan

A: If you have to ask this, we’d guess you’re getting a lot of added sugar from snacks, desserts and packaged foods. We advise against that because added sugars make your cells’ energy-production centers

— the mitochondria — age faster. The added sugars also glom onto many of your body’s essential proteins, such as hemoglobin A1C. That interferes with the release of oxygen to your tissues and increases your risk of diabetes-related health issues like leg ulcers, kidney failure, dementia and more.

Following are easy-to-follow ways to get added sugar out of your life.

Start slowly. Eliminate one source of added sugar at a time.

Eat healthful meals and snacks (an ounce or two of almonds or walnuts) and get healthy proteins from whole grains, beans, skinless chicken and wild salmon.

Still hit with a cookie attack? Force yourself to wait for five minutes before going for the goodies. You’ll be surprised how you can tell yourself no and feel really good about it.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.