title: Using stable isotopes to assess mineral absorption and utilization by children.
abstract: Adequate mineral intake is a crucial part of a healthy diet for children-it supports appropriate growth and development and provides protection against childhood conditions like anemia and helps to prevent future adult diseases such as osteoporosis. Challenges in performing and interpreting studies in infants and children have hampered the accurate assessment of their mineral utilization. Many of the most powerful techniques used in adults, such as radioisotope testing, are not appropriate for use in children. In recent years, advanced mineral stable-isotope techniques have been developed to fill this gap. Pediatric applications include studies of calcium absorption and kinetics during puberty and evaluation of the calcium-iron interaction in infants and toddlers. The effects of genetics in determining calcium absorption and bone turnover may become an important research area. The goals and methods of ongoing mineral stable-isotope research in infants and children are examined in this report. In the past, the cost and difficulties in obtaining isotopes have limited such research. This situation has improved considerably, although relatively few nutrition research laboratories are prepared to perform sample analyses.
authors.affiliation: US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service Children's Nutrition Research Center and Section of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston 77030-2600, USA. sabrams@bcm.tcm.edu
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Abrams
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D002118:Calcium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008274:Magnesium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008903:Minerals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011868:Radioisotopes; D015032:Zinc / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D011868:Radioisotopes; D007501:Iron; D008274:Magnesium; D015032:Zinc; D002118:Calcium