What It Measures
This test measures the level of albumin protein in your blood. Albumin maintains oncotic pressure (keeps fluid in blood vessels), transports hormones, vitamins, drugs, and fatty acids, and acts as an antioxidant. It reflects your liver's synthetic capacity and your overall protein/nutritional status.
Albumin is the most abundant protein in blood plasma, produced by the liver. It serves as a key marker of nutritional status, liver function, and overall health, and is one of the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality across multiple large-scale studies.
Current Value
What High Means
Elevated serum albumin (hyperalbuminemia) is uncommon and usually reflects dehydration rather than true overproduction. Severe dehydration concentrates blood proteins, artificially raising albumin levels. High-protein diets alone do not typically raise albumin above normal. In rare cases, anabolic steroid use or prolonged tourniquet application during blood draw can cause falsely elevated readings.
Possible Symptoms
Symptoms of high albumin are primarily those of dehydration: dark urine, dry mouth, dizziness, fatigue, reduced skin turgor, rapid heart rate, and confusion in severe cases.
What Low Means
Low albumin (hypoalbuminemia) is a significant clinical finding associated with: liver disease (cirrhosis, hepatitis) where the liver cannot produce adequate albumin; kidney disease (nephrotic syndrome) where albumin is lost in urine; malnutrition or malabsorption; chronic inflammation (albumin is a negative acute-phase reactant — it drops during inflammatory states); burns, sepsis, or critical illness; heart failure; and inflammatory bowel disease. Low albumin is strongly associated with increased mortality, poor surgical outcomes, and slower wound healing.
Possible Symptoms
Edema (swelling in legs, ankles, feet, or around the eyes), ascites (fluid in the abdomen), muscle wasting, fatigue, weakness, poor wound healing, brittle or ridged nails, hair loss, dry or flaky skin, loss of appetite, and increased susceptibility to infections.
Risk Factors
Liver disease (cirrhosis, hepatitis), chronic kidney disease, nephrotic syndrome, malnutrition, chronic inflammatory conditions (rheumatoid arthritis, IBD, lupus), heart failure, sepsis, cancer, burns, prolonged hospitalization, aging, diabetes, obesity
Actionable Advice
Supplements
- •Whey protein
- •Collagen peptides
- •Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)
- •Digestive enzymes
- •Zinc
- •Vitamin D
- •N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)
- •Omega-3 fatty acids
Diet & Lifestyle
- •Consume adequate high-quality protein (1.2–1.6 g/kg/day from meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes)
- •Stay well-hydrated to avoid falsely elevated readings
- •Reduce chronic inflammation through anti-inflammatory diet (rich in vegetables, fruits, omega-3s)
- •Exercise regularly — resistance training supports protein synthesis and liver health
- •Limit alcohol intake to protect liver function
- •Address any underlying digestive issues that impair protein absorption
- •Maintain healthy body weight to reduce systemic inflammation
- •Get adequate sleep (7-9 hours) to support liver repair and protein synthesis
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Ask questions about your Albumin results, trends, and what you can do to optimize.
Historical Trend
Resources & Studies
All Readings
| Date | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-28 | 4.1 g/dL | -0.2 |
| 2025-08-25 | 4.3 g/dL | +0.1 |
| 2025-06-27 | 4.22 g/dL | — |