Cyclamates Sharply Drop Learning Capacity of Rats

Recent research by a Worcester biologist indicates that the offspring of rats fed very small amounts of cyclamates show marked hyperactivity and inability to learn.

Dr. David Stone, director of biological research at Worcester State Hospital, told a meeting of the Massachusetts Association for Retarded Children Sunday that the human equivalent of two bottles of cyclamate-sweetened soft drinks fed to rats produced "altered behavior in their offspring somewhat like that in a human being with minimal brain damage."

Cyclamates are a type of artificial sweetener formerly used in dietary soft drinks and other foods. Federal law required all cyclamates to be removed from the market by Sept. 1, 1970 because they were found to break chromosomes, possibly causing cancer.

Stone said the offspring of cyclamate-treated female rats "were hyperactive, as much as five to ten times more active than normal... and they showed great difficulty in learning to perform simple actions like pressing a bar for food reward."

Stupid Rats

Stone also revealed yesterday that about 30 per cent of the offspring of treated rats would not learn at all while the rest learned at a substantially lower rate. Furthermore the damage appeared to be permanent.

The crucial question Stone posed was, "If this happens on a rat, will it happen on a human?" Data is just recently starting to be collected through surveys of parents who have had retarded children.

Stone noted that "there are more hyperactive children in our schools today than there were even a few years ago," but emphasized that the reasons for this change could not yet be conclusively determined.