Minerals
Calcium / Albumin (Corrected Calcium)
What This Marker Tells Us
Adjusts your total calcium measurement for albumin levels, revealing your true physiologically active calcium since roughly half of blood calcium binds to albumin for transport.
Why It Matters
Prevents misdiagnosis of calcium disorders when albumin is abnormal. Calcium regulates muscle contraction, nerve transmission, hormone secretion, blood clotting, and bone density. Both high and low calcium cause serious symptoms—from muscle cramps, cognitive issues, and irregular heartbeats to kidney stones and bone loss. Corrected calcium reveals whether apparent abnormalities reflect true calcium dysregulation or simply low albumin from nutrition, liver, or kidney issues.
How to Interpret Your Trends
Low corrected calcium despite normal total calcium suggests true hypocalcemia from vitamin D deficiency, parathyroid problems, kidney disease, or magnesium deficiency. Typical corrected values indicate proper calcium homeostasis regardless of albumin status. High corrected calcium signals hyperparathyroidism, excessive vitamin D, certain cancers, or immobilization. Context from symptoms and related markers guides interpretation.
What Influences This Marker
Vitamin D status directly regulates calcium absorption. Parathyroid hormone and calcitonin maintain tight control. Adequate dietary calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin K2 support healthy levels. Excessive supplementation, certain medications, kidney disease, and parathyroid disorders disrupt balance. Protein malnutrition lowers albumin, making correction essential for accurate assessment.
How Your Team Uses It
Your coach uses corrected calcium to accurately assess calcium status independent of protein nutritional state, guiding vitamin D and calcium supplementation. Normal total calcium with low albumin requires correction before making recommendations. It prevents unnecessary interventions for false abnormalities.
Related Signals We Also Review
Total calcium, albumin, vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, phosphorus, magnesium, and bone turnover markers provide complete calcium homeostasis assessment.