There are 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). In fact, Dr. Mike was on Dr. Oz’s show last month to demonstrate that Coke was great at cleaning toilets. Tip: Only by pouring it directly into the bowl.

So it’s really no surprise that a big study of more than 42,000 middle aged 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 aged, and older guys and gals drinking sodas and sugar-added juices contributes to everything from obesity to fatty liver disease. So let’s look at better ways to quench your thirst and boost your health at the same time.