This article reviews the literature from 1986 to early 2001 relating to apoB100 and apoB48 kinetics in humans using amino acid precursors labeled with stable isotopes. The following subjects are reviewed: (1) methodology; (2) normal individuals and the effects of aging; (3) diet; (4) hereditary dyslipidemias: familial hypercholesterolemia, familial combined hyperlipidemia, cholesteryl ester storage disease, cholesteryl ester transfer protein deficiency, lipoprotein lipase deficiency, familial hypobetalipoproteinemia, and truncated forms of apoB; (5) hormonal perturbations: estrogen, insulin, diabetes, obesity, and growth hormone; (6) the nephrotic syndrome; and (7) the effects of the statin class of drugs. Because of the advances which have been made in mass spectrometry techniques, the advantages of using non-radioactive tracers in humans have made stable isotope kinetic studies the present day standard in this area of research.