What it measures
The main protein your liver makes, and the most abundant one in blood.
Holds fluid inside blood vessels and ferries calcium, hormones and medicines around; it also corrects your calcium reading.
Why it matters for how long you stay well
It sits at the crossroads of nutrition, inflammation, liver and kidney, and a slowly falling level over years is one of the better predictors of frailty later on.
How it shows up in daily life
A low level can go with puffy ankles or a face that looks swollen in the morning, though many people notice nothing.
High and low readings
When it reads high
Usually dehydration rather than more protein.
When it reads low
Low protein intake, liver or kidney strain, or ongoing inflammation.
What moves it
Daily life
- how much protein you eat
- ongoing inflammation, which lowers it
- how well your liver and kidneys are working
- being dehydrated at the draw, which lifts it falsely
Read it with
Markers that move this one, or that this one moves. One number read alone can mislead.
- Albumin–globulin balanceKnown mechanism
As this rises, Albumin–globulin balance rises with it
This balance divides albumin by the rest of your blood protein. It is arithmetic on two results you already have, so read those two instead.
- Total proteinKnown mechanism
As this rises, Total protein rises with it
Albumin is the largest single share of your blood protein. So the total mostly follows it, and a low total usually turns out to be a low albumin.
- hs-CRP, the inflammation dialKnown mechanism
hs-CRP pulls it down
During inflammation your liver switches from making albumin to making inflammation proteins. So albumin dips for a reason that has nothing to do with your diet.
- CalciumKnown mechanism
As this rises, Calcium rises with it
Most of your calcium travels stuck to albumin. So a low albumin drags the total calcium figure down even when the usable calcium is perfectly fine.
Common questions
What does Serum Albumin measure?
The main protein your liver makes, and the most abundant one in blood. Holds fluid inside blood vessels and ferries calcium, hormones and medicines around; it also corrects your calcium reading.
What does a high Albumin result usually mean?
Usually dehydration rather than more protein.
What does a low Albumin result usually mean?
Low protein intake, liver or kidney strain, or ongoing inflammation.
What is the usual reference range for Albumin?
A broad adult reference band is 3.5–5 g/dL. Labs differ, so read your result against the band printed on your own report.
Educational only, not a diagnosis. A single number means little without your history and the rest of your panel, so discuss your own results with your physician.
Typical adult reference band
- Adults
- 3.5–5 g/dL
Labs differ. The band printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
Reported in g/dL
Ageing relevance
5/5
A direct input to a validated biological-age algorithm.
One of the nine blood inputs to the PhenoAge biological-age clock (Levine et al., Aging, 2018).
Worth knowing
Albumin is the main reason blood holds on to its water instead of leaking out into your tissues.
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