Sodium cyclamate (E952)

Currently, the problem of excess weight has become quite relevant. To get rid of unnecessary pounds people are ready to go to great lengths. Often even a simple rejection of sweets helps. But not everyone can live without sugar, so many people eat a variety of sweeteners. One of which is sodium cyclamate, or a food additive marked with the E952 code.

The main characteristics of the sweetener

Sodium cyclamate is a synthetically derived sweetener used in the food and pharmaceutical industries to add a sweet taste to foods. He is best known for the E952 marking, which is mandatory on all food products that include such an additive.

There are also other names for this substance: sodium salt of cyclamic acid or sodium N-cyclohexylsulfamate. The chemical formula of the sweetener is C₆H₁₂NNaO₃S.

Sodium cyclamate is an odorless, crystalline, colorless powder with a sugary-sweet taste. Many consider products with an admixture of this substance to be rather unpleasant in taste.

Such a food additive is several tens of times more sweet than sugar and can significantly enhance this effect when interacting with other flavor sweeteners such as acesulfame, aspartame or sodium saccharin.

It is believed that sodium cyclamate is an absolutely calorie-free substance, since it takes so little to obtain the desired taste of products that this in no way affects their energy value. In addition, this sweetener does not have a glycemic index, which means it does not affect blood glucose levels. It is this property that makes it suitable for use by people suffering from diabetes.

This is a heat resistant material. Its melting point is two hundred and sixty-five degrees Celsius. Therefore, it is freely used in various kinds of pastries and other hot desserts, and at the same time does not lose its taste.

The synthetic sweetener is not broken down in the body, is not absorbed and is excreted in its pure form with the help of the kidneys and urinary system. The maximum allowable daily dose of this substance is ten milligrams for every kilogram of body weight.

Invention sodium cyclamate

The history of the invention of sodium cyclamate goes back to the distant 1937. At that time in America, in the state of Illinois, a then-unknown graduate student, Michael Sveda, was trying to create a certain antipyretic drug. After lighting a cigarette, he accidentally dipped the cigarette into the liquid and did not even notice it. After taking a puff, he tasted a sweetish taste on his lips, thus obtaining a new chemical substance. It was a cheeky and gross violation of all safety regulations, but thanks to him, the synthetic sweetener popular in our time was born.

The patent for the new invention was sold to DuPont, but was later bought by Abbott Laboratories, who intended to use it to improve the taste and remove bitterness from certain drugs. After, having passed a number of numerous studies, this substance in 1950 goes on free sale. A few years later, it began to be widely used as a sugar substitute for diabetics. Around 1952, zero-calorie diet sodas began to be commercially produced.

Nevertheless, this substance is officially recognized as a dietary supplement and is allowed in more than fifty-five countries. However, in the United States, due to also a number of studies that gave unfavorable results, this sweetener was banned in 1969, and at the moment the question of lifting such a ban is already being considered.

It is used for the production of dietary products and low-calorie carbonated drinks. Part of the following brands:

• sweetener Cologran;
• Millford substitute.

The benefits and harms of sodium cyclamate

You should not expect huge benefits and positive from taking such a substance. The main positive property of such a food supplement and its direct purpose is to replace sugar for those people who, for one reason or another, are forbidden to eat simple carbohydrates. It is unlikely that any super-positive health effects should be expected from sodium cyclamate. However, you should not completely discard it from sight, because it also has some useful properties:

1. The most basic is zero calories. Since this substance is not absorbed by the human body at all, no extra pounds can be added when it is used.
2. With such a substance, the process of preparing sweet dishes and desserts becomes much simpler and easier, because it requires fifty times less than sugar.
3. The rapid solubility of sodium cyclamate is also of no small importance. It can be added without fear both to hot drinks – tea, coffee, and to cold drinks – milk, juices, water.

Of course, people with diabetes mellitus, as well as those who are prone to gaining excess weight or obesity, most fully feel the usefulness of this sweetener. For other people, taking it will not bring tangible benefits. But what harm it can do to the body needs to be known to both.

Is sodium cyclamate harmful? The answer to this question is obvious, because such a dietary supplement is allowed for sale only in some countries. It has been impossible to buy it in the territory of the United States of America for quite a long time. But recently, the issue of its resolution has been raised again, and it is now under consideration.

Despite the possible harm to health, the use of the additive E952 (sodium cyclamate) is allowed as a sweetener in more than 55 countries. Included in the list of permitted food additives in Ukraine, the EU and the Russian Federation.

However, in defense of this sweetener, it is worth saying that its potential harm has not been fully proven. But sometimes there are some unpleasant consequences of its use. In general, they can be represented as follows:

1. Promotes puffiness, thereby disrupting the metabolism.
2. It negatively affects the work of the heart and blood vessels.
3. Significantly increases the load on the kidneys. And in some sources you can find a mention that this substance stimulates the development of urolithiasis.
4. The most dangerous in the use of this ingredient is that it contributes to the development of cancer. Experiments conducted on rats confirm the carcinogenic properties of the additive. It significantly increases the risk of developing bladder cancer in these rodents. However, studies have not shown a similar effect on the human body.
5. When using this substance, allergic reactions associated with hypersensitivity to its components can be observed, which manifest themselves in: skin itching, rashes, urticaria and inflammation of the eyes.

Separately, it is worth noting that the use of sodium cyclamate during pregnancy is highly undesirable, since in the body of some people there are a number of bacteria that, reacting with this substance, cause it to break down into conditionally teratogenic metabolites that negatively affect the development of the fetus. The risk of having a child with abnormalities in this case is very high. The first two or three weeks of pregnancy are especially scary.

In conclusion

Sodium cyclamate is a synthetically produced chemical widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries as a sugar substitute. However, the harm caused to the body when it is taken far exceeds the possible benefits, so it is best to use such a substance solely for medical reasons. And for those who are obese or diabetic, there are currently natural sweeteners based on stevia and not containing cyclamates. In any case, deciding to go on a diet using this nutritional supplement, you should consult your doctor.