Liver
Albumin
What This Marker Tells Us
The most abundant blood protein, produced by the liver, maintaining fluid balance, transporting nutrients and hormones, and providing antioxidant protection.
Why It Matters
Reveals nutritional status, liver function, kidney health, and inflammatory burden. Low albumin allows fluid to leak from blood vessels into tissues, causing swelling and impaired nutrient delivery. It transports hormones, drugs, fatty acids, and vitamins, so low levels affect multiple body systems. Albumin also predicts mortality—lower levels associate with worse outcomes across diseases. It's a powerful marker of overall health status.
How to Interpret Your Trends
" Low albumin (below 3.5 g/dL) indicates malnutrition, liver disease, kidney losses, chronic inflammation, or critical illness, increasing mortality risk. Typical albumin (3.5-5.0 g/dL) reflects adequate nutrition and liver function. High albumin is rare and usually reflects dehydration. Even within normal range, higher values associate with better health outcomes"
What Influences This Marker
Adequate protein intake and liver function maintain albumin production. Inflammation suppresses synthesis while increasing breakdown. Kidney disease causes urinary losses. Malabsorption, inadequate intake, and liver disease lower albumin. Dehydration concentrates albumin. Anti-inflammatory diet, adequate protein, treating underlying conditions, and proper hydration optimize levels.
How Your Team Uses It
Your coach uses albumin to assess nutritional status, inflammatory burden, and overall health. Low albumin prompts increased protein intake, investigation of inflammation, and evaluation of liver and kidney function. It helps interpret calcium and other albumin-bound substances. Trending albumin validates interventions reducing inflammation.
Related Signals We Also Review
Total protein, globulin, A/G ratio, liver enzymes, kidney function, CRP, and nutritional markers complete the albumin and nutritional assessment.