What’s Albumin? And Why Should We Keep Track of It?
- © Nils Osmar 2025. March 18 2025
- This post is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice.
- See full Medical Disclaimer
When I’m trying to get a sense of ideal levels of biomarkers, I look for information about the levels in healthy young adults. (I’m 72, but my goal is to have 21 year old biomarkers, so I don’t look for info about “healthy 72 year olds”.)
- I’ve been able to get useful information by asking DeepSeek AI, “What is the usual level of ______ for a healthy 21 year old male? Please cite your sources.”
- When I asked this about albumin (one of the biomarkers in the PhenoAge test), it answered, “For a 21-year-old male, the ideal albumin level typically falls within the range of 46-48.8 g/L (4.6-4.88 g/dL) This range is considered optimal for young adult males in their early twenties.”
- One source for its answer was Age and sex variation in serum albumin concentration: an observational study.
- Another source was Albumin.
Like most biomarkers, albumin has an optimal level; going above or below it can cause health issues. The author of the Albumin article noted that if albumin is too high, dehydration can be one of the causes. When it’s too low, according to the author, the best foods for increasing it are:
- Meat (beef, pork, lamb)
- Poultry (chicken and turkey)
- Eggs
- Nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts)
- Dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cheese)
Why it matters
Albumin has several functions in the body. Again quoting DeepSeek, “Albumin is a protein produced by the liver that plays several crucial roles in the body. Its main functions include:
- Maintaining Fluid Balance: Albumin helps prevent fluid from leaking out of blood vessels into the tissues. This is known as colloid osmotic pressure.
- Transporting Substances: Albumin acts as a carrier protein for various substances, including hormones, enzymes, vitamins, and drugs. It facilitates their transport throughout the body.
- Protecting from Damage: Albumin binds to and neutralizes harmful substances in the bloodstream, such as bilirubin and toxins.
- Supporting Liver Function: Albumin is a marker of liver health. Low albumin levels can indicate liver damage or disease.
- Albumin levels are also a reflection of nutritional status. Malnutrition can lead to low albumin levels.
Why my interest?
- The reason for my interest was that levels of albumin decline during aging. My level was 4.4 for a while, which was a little low…. what we might expect to find in an older person. So I wanted to adjust it to a younger associative level.
- When I started eating a bit more animal-based food, it rose to 4.5, the “low end of optimal”. I then increased my vitamin D intake, and in my last two blood tests it rose again, to 4.6 g/dL.
- PhenoAge’s calculator regards 4.6 as a significantly more youthful value for albumin than 4.5. It adjusted my age calculation as a full year younger as a result of this increase; raising my albumin was part of how I ended up being, for a while, in position 10 on the Longevity Leaderboard.
“What would Mike say?”
- Out of curiosity, I checked a video by Mike Lustgarten, Ph,.D.,, who has done a lot of research based around optimizing his own biomarkers.
- He had also concluded that an ideal albumin level would be between 4.5-4.8 g/dL.
- He mentioned in his video that increasing one’s uptake of vitamin A and Beta Carotene can also raise albumin levels. He noted though that too much vitamin A is associated with negative changes in other biomarkers, in his experience.
What Mike did say
I posted this article originally in the Facebook Group Anti-Aging and Life Extension; – and Mike commented on it. This is an excerpt from his comment:
In sum:
- Albumin declines during aging.
- 4.5-4.8 grams per deciLiter is ideal. 4.6 grams/dL is associated with the lowest all cause mortality.
- If our level is low, and the cause is dietary, we can raise it by eating more protein (more animal foods or more nuts.)
- If our level is too high, dehydration may be the cause (though there can be other causes). (In this case, an easy intervention would be drinking more water.)
- If your albumin is high or low, let your doctor know, as it could also indicate an underlying medical condition.
Not medical advice
This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice. I’m not advising that people eat any particular diet or take any particular supplement(s), just reporting on what I’m doing. Supplements, like medications and other interventions, can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen, and consult with a medical professional about any issues which might have a medical component. See full Medical Disclaimer
Other resources
- My Youtube channel Pathways to Longevity
- My Facebook group: Anti-Aging and Life Extension,
