Cyclamates are an artificial sweetener developed in the 1930s, but health concerns led to a ban in some countries in the mid-20th century. Today, over 50 countries allow the use of cyclamates, but with limitations due to potential health risks. Research into the effects of cyclamates continues.
Cyclamates are artificial sweeteners developed in the 1930s for use in a number of commercially manufactured foods and beverages. Considered to be in the range of thirty times sweeter than sucrose, cyclamate is derived from cyclohexyl sulfamic acid. Health concerns led to the sweetener being banned in some countries in the mid-20th century, although today there are a number of nations that continue to approve the product for regular use.
Michael Sveda, a student at the University of Illinois, is usually blamed for developing cyclamate. Beginning in 1937, this sugar substitute was hugely popular in all kinds of food and beverage products, often eclipsing other sweetener options. Because cyclamate could be produced quickly and cheaply, it became particularly popular with manufacturers of various types of soft drinks.
However, research into cyclamate’s effects on the body has begun to indicate that there may be health risks to anyone who consumes the sweetener on a daily basis. As a result of several years of research, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States has officially banned the use of cyclamate in commercially prepared foods and beverages. Several major soft drink manufacturers began announcing plans to phase out use of the sweetener before the ban’s 1969 start date. As a result, devotees who feared the change would forever alter the taste of their favorite soft drink, they moved quickly to buy as many canned sodas as possible before the ban officially began.
Further research since the ban’s implementation has led some to question the wisdom of removing cyclamate from regular use. An official petition was filed with the FDA in 1982, asking for the ban to be lifted thirteen years earlier. Today, over fifty different countries around the world allow cyclamate to be used in domestically manufactured products.
Countries that continue to allow the use of cyclamate as one of several approved artificial sweeteners often impose limits on the amount of the product that can be used in a single unit of any commercially prepared food or beverage. One reason for this action is to minimize the chances of ingesting large amounts of sweetener over the course of a twenty-four hour period. The limitations usually have to do with contemporary research indicating that cyclamate converts in the body at a faster rate than previously thought.
It is not unusual for countries participating in the European Union to allow the use of this sugar substitute. In addition to its use in soft drinks, the sweetener can also be found in products containing milk and various brands of fruit juices. Research continues into the potential negative effects of cyclamate, along with research into all kinds of artificial sweeteners.
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