ABSTRACT
Due to the rapid advances in mass spectrometry techniques over the last 20 years, a steady growth in the application of stable isotope use to study human mineral and trace-element metabolism has occurred. The most frequent
application of stable isotopes of the mineral elements in studies of nutrition and metabolism has been to determine dietary mineral availability or absorption. With improved analytical precision, (mainly due to improved instrumentation) the versatility of stable-isotope tracer techniques has increased to include measures of endogenous excretion, and kinetic measures of mineral turnover and body pools, resulting from compartmental modelling. Several relatively recent review articles are available regarding the use of stableisotope technology for trace mineral studies in humans, and older review articles are important historically for understanding the advances that have occurred in this field.
