There are many startling uses for Coca-Cola, ranging from removing gum from your child's hair to wiping out slugs and snails in your vegetable garden. (Sugar entices them; acid finishes them off.)

It’s even great at cleaning toilets. Tip: Only by pouring it directly into the bowl.

So it's really no surprise that a study of more than 42,000 middle-age men ages 45 to 79 found that guzzling two or more sodas and fruity drinks daily (including artificially sweetened ones) increased a guy's risk for heart failure by almost 25 percent.

This information follows on the heels of mountains of research showing that for young, middle-age, and older guys and gals, drinking sodas and sugar-added juices contributes to everything from obesity to fatty liver disease.

Let's look at some better ways to quench your thirst and boost your health at the same time.

Go for water. You can flavor it with lemon or lime slices or pineapple and watermelon chunks.

You can also enjoy caffeinated water, pulp-in fruit juices, coffee, and tea.

While there's no specific recommendation for how much water you should drink a day (that depends on the content in the food you eat, your health, age, and level of activity), the dietary reference intake from food and liquid is 91 to 125 fluid ounces. Generally, you'll need to drink 50 to 60 ounces a day.

Your skin, guts, heart, and brain will say "cheers!"