studies on laboratory rats during the early 1970s linked high volumes of cyclamate and saccharin with the development of bladder cancer. as a result, the united states congress mandated that further studies of saccharin be performed and required that all food containing saccharin bear a label warning that the sweetener had been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. despite this, tab remained commercially successful, and was the best-selling diet soda in 1982. in may 1984, coca-cola introduced nutrasweet into the tab formula, which maligned a significant portion of its market, and resulted in numerous consumer complaints regarding a perceived change in flavor.