Blood constituents and hepatic lipids in rats fed sucrose or starch with or without cyclamate

To study the effect of type of dietary carbohydrate and cyclamate on selected tissue components, rats were fed basal diets that contained sucrose or cornstarch: dextrin (2:1) with 0, 2, or 10% calcium cyclamate. Substitution of starch:dextrin for sucrose in the basal diet did not significantly affect the concentrations of blood hemoglobin, serum protein, cholesterol or total lipids in liver, or weight gain of the animals. Substitution of 2% cyclamate for sucrose did not appear to affect significantly the parameters studied, except that liver weight and total amino acid concentration decreased. Animals fed starch:dextrin with 2% cyclamate had lower weight gains than those of their respective controls, whereas liver cholesterol and total lipid concentrations were increased. Dietary cyclamate decreased the liver weight of all experimental groups. Weight gains of animals fed sucrose or starch:dextrin with 10% cyclamate in replacement of carbohydrate were, respectively, 41 and 58% lower than those of their respective controls. Substitution of 10% cyclamate for sucrose or starch:dextrin decreased blood hemoglobin. The total concentration of essential amino acids in sera of rats fed 10% cyclamate with sucrose or starch:dextrin approached or exceeded that of the respective controls. The data indicate that the effect of cyclamates on the level of certain tissue components may be related to the type of carbohydrate fed with cyclamate.