Albumin

Albumin is the most abundant protein in your blood. It is made in the liver and helps keep fluid inside your blood vessels (oncotic pressure), carries hormones, fatty acids, minerals and many medicines, and also has antioxidant effects. Albumin levels drop during inflammation because it is a negative acute-phase reactant, meaning the body makes less of it when inflammatory signals are high. Levels can look high if you are dehydrated or if a tourniquet is left on too long during blood draw.

Because albumin reflects both nutrition and inflammation, it is a useful long-term marker of overall health. Persistently low albumin is linked with fluid retention (swelling), reduced transport of key nutrients and drugs, and poorer recovery from illness and surgery. Tracking albumin over time helps you see whether your lifestyle is supporting liver protein production and whether background inflammation is under control.

1.  Eat enough protein, and spread it across the day
   Benefit from hitting a “per-meal” protein and leucine target to switch on protein building. A practical guide is ~30 g of high-quality protein per meal, providing about 2.5–3 g of leucine, across breakfast, lunch and dinner (5). This supports whole-body protein turnover and helps your liver make proteins needed on a daily basis.

2. Avoid short-term dips from fasting right before a test
   Prolonged fasting can temporarily reduce albumin; returning to normal eating rapidly restores liver protein production (1). For a fair test, follow your usual eating pattern in the day or two before bloods unless told otherwise.

3. Tackle background inflammation
   Because albumin falls when inflammation rises, small daily habits that calm inflammation can help albumin recover over time: regular movement, plenty of colourful plants and fibre, a stable sleep schedule, and stress-management practices. The goal is steady, long-term improvement rather than a single quick fix. See our guide on chronic inflammation for more information.

4. If you’re under-nourished or have chronic illness, consider targeted nutrition support
   In people with poor nutrition status, especially those on dialysis, short-term oral nutritional supplements have raised serum albumin by around +1.3 g/L on average (95% CI 0.5–2.0) over weeks to months. This shows that closing protein and calorie gaps can measurably move albumin.
   

• Optimal: 40–45 g/L

• Borderline low: 35–39 g/L

• Low: 30–34 g/L

• Very low: <30 g/L

• High: >45 g/L, often reflects dehydration rather than true excess production

1. MedlinePlus. Total Protein and Albumin/Globulin (A/G) Ratio Test. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2024. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/total-protein-and-albumin-globulin-a-g-ratio/

2. Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA). Total Protein. RCPA Manual, 2024. Available from: https://www.rcpa.edu.au/Manuals/RCPA-Manual/Pathology-Tests/T/Total-Protein

3. Labcorp. Protein Electrophoresis, Serum — Reference Range Information. Labcorp Test 001487. Available from: https://www.labcorp.com/tests/001487/protein-electrophoresis-serum

4. Layman DK, et al. Impacts of protein quantity and distribution on body composition. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2024. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1388986/full

5. McFarlin BK, et al. Baker’s yeast beta-glucan supplementation increases salivary IgA and decreases cold/flu symptomatic days after intense exercise. Journal of Dietary Supplements. 2013. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23927572/