What is an Albumin Blood Test? Understanding Normal Ranges and Results

Your doctor has ordered an albumin test but what does it really tell you about your health? Albumin is a biomarker for the functioning of your liver, kidney, and overall nutrition. In many ways, it’s like a triple action report card.

The reason an albumin test is so valuable is that it can identify a problem that is developing before you experience symptoms. A faulty liver, under-performing kidney, chronic inflammation and poor nutrition can all impact albumin levels and most often become visible through a blood test months or years before you become aware of a problem.

That’s why comprehensive testing panels like AgingSOS include albumin alongside 27 other biomarkers to paint a complete picture of your cellular vitality and biological age.

What is Albumin?

Albumin is the most abundant protein in your blood. In healthy individuals, albumin makes up about 50% of the total protein content of plasma. Your liver makes about 10 to 15 grams of albumin every day.

Albumin acts as a carrier protein, transporting many different substances throughout your body, including hormones, vitamins, minerals, and medications.

Albumin also prevents fluid from leaking out of blood vessels. It is responsible for 70 to 80% of what is called “oncotic pressure”, the force that opposes the leaking of fluid out of blood vessels and into other parts of the body. If albumin levels are too low, fluid leaks out and causes edema (swelling).

In addition to its transport and fluid regulating roles, albumin plays a role in modulating inflammation and oxidative stress. Albumin neutralizes free radicals and helps to regulate antioxidant levels in cells.

Normal Albumin Blood Test Ranges

Healthy adults maintain albumin levels between 3.5 and 5.4 grams per deciliter (g/dL). Your age and life stage affect what’s considered normal for you.

Normal albumin levels by age:

• Newborns: 2.8 to 4.4 g/dL (immature liver function)
• Children and teens: 3.8 to 5.4 g/dL (higher during growth)
• Adults: 3.5 to 5.4 g/dL (standard range)
• Adults over 65: 3.4 to 4.8 g/dL (normal aging decline)
• Pregnant women: 3.0 to 4.2 g/dL (blood volume increases)

How Ranges Vary by Age

The liver’s ability to produce albumin also varies by age. In one study, the synthesis rate decreased 60 to 80% in people with end-stage liver disease as compared to normal function^[1].

In healthy people, there is a normal decrease with age in the liver’s ability to metabolize protein. Adults with test results showing levels above 3.4 g/dL after 65 generally show good liver function and adequate nutrition.

Testing during pregnancy tends to show physiological changes rather than disease. Your body increases blood volume by up to 50%, which naturally dilutes the concentration of albumin.

What Low Albumin Levels Tell Your Doctor

Low albumin (also known as hypoalbuminemia) is defined as less than 3.4-3.5 g/dL. This laboratory finding is one of the strongest indicators of a severe underlying medical condition.

Albumin levels only decrease when the liver is unable to synthesize enough, the kidneys excrete too much or the body’s processes are breaking it down too quickly. Levels that dip below 3.0 g/dL are indicative of late-stage disease and need urgent medical intervention.

Main Causes of Low Albumin

Common causes include:

• Liver disease: Cirrhosis, hepatitis, and liver failure impair synthesis since your liver is albumin’s only production site. Low albumin signals advanced disease in prognostic scoring systems like Child-Pugh and MELD.
• Kidney disorders: Nephrotic syndrome causes massive albumin loss into urine. Patients lose more than 3 grams of protein daily, with serum albumin often dropping below 2.5 g/dL.
• Malnutrition: Inadequate protein intake prevents albumin production. A systematic review found subjects at high malnutrition risk had significantly lower albumin concentrations^[2].
• Inflammation and infection: Cytokines like IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α suppress liver albumin production while blood vessels become leaky, allowing albumin to escape. Understanding inflammatory biomarkers helps identify these conditions early.

Signs Your Levels Might Be Low

Swelling is the classic symptom associated with low albumin. Look for these signs:

• Edema: Fluid retention in legs, feet, ankles, or face
• Ascites: Fluid buildup in your abdomen causing swollen belly
• Breathing difficulty: Pleural effusions in which fluid surrounds the lungs
• Fatigue and weakness: Poor nutrient transport throughout body (similar to chronic fatigue from other causes)
• Loss of appetite and nausea: Often seen with protein deficiency
• Dry, rough skin and thinning hair: Not enough protein to support tissue maintenance

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What High Albumin Levels Really Mean

High albumin or hyperalbuminemia refers to albumin levels above 5.0 to 5.4 g/dL. This result is rare and is almost never due to overproduction. Dehydration concentrates the blood and makes the albumin appear high, while the total protein is normal.

Why Levels Rise

High albumin is most often due to:

• Dehydration: Fluid loss through vomiting, diarrhea, excessive sweating, or inadequate intake concentrates blood components. This causes virtually all cases of hyperalbuminemia.
• Very high protein diets: Consuming too much protein will temporarily raise the level of albumin as a result of normal liver metabolism.
• Certain medications: Insulin, growth hormone, and anabolic steroids can cause a temporary increase in the production of albumin.
• Technical factors: Using a tourniquet for too long while drawing a blood sample for testing can concentrate the albumin in your blood.

Symptoms to Look For

High albumin is rarely the direct cause of symptoms. When you feel unwell, you are suffering the effects of dehydration:

• Intense thirst and a parched mouth
• Dark, strong-smelling urine that is less frequent
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy when you stand up
• Feeling very tired and weak
• An increased heart rate
• Dry, less elastic skin
• Headaches and confusion from the loss of fluids

Rehydration typically resolves high albumin quickly. Drink water gradually and monitor symptoms.

How Albumin Testing Works

Doctors perform the albumin blood test by drawing blood from your arm. You usually don’t need to fast before the test unless you are having it as part of a comprehensive metabolic panel.

A healthcare professional inserts a needle into a vein in your arm. It only takes a few minutes and causes only minimal discomfort.

Laboratories have several methods for measuring the amount of albumin in your blood. The most common are bromocresol green (BCG) and bromocresol purple (BCP). Labs usually return the results within a few days.

“The albumin test is a classic example of how precision medicine works,” says Dr. Jin-Xiong She, founder of Jinfiniti Precision Medicine. “One single biomarker can reflect the status of multiple organ systems in your body. But interpreting the results requires an understanding of the unique context of each patient.”

What Your Results Mean for Your Health

Albumin testing is used in diagnosis, screening, and monitoring. Your doctor will order these tests if you have symptoms of liver or kidney disease.

As per Cleveland Clinic, low albumin levels are associated with liver damage, kidney disease, inflammation, shock, and malnutrition. In most cases, a higher level will indicate dehydration.

Repeated tests are used to monitor the severity of an underlying disease and how well you are responding to treatment. In a study of mortality risk, a higher red blood cell distribution width to albumin ratio was linked to a higher risk of death^[3].

In most cases, low albumin is not treated with albumin infusions unless certain complications are present. It is managed by addressing the underlying cause, such as malnutrition, liver disease, or inflammation.

Optimal albumin levels indicate healthy liver function, nutrition, and lack of inflammation. It’s one of the many longevity biomarkers you’ll want to track as you age.