Albumin plays a crucial role in transporting nutrients broken down in the stomach and intestines throughout the body.
It also helps maintain blood concentration and regulate fluid balance, thereby reducing the risk of high blood pressure.

Blood albumin levels are a key indicator used to assess nutritional status. As people age, albumin levels naturally decline, and elderly individuals with low serum albumin are known to have higher rates of illness, mortality, and disability.
Some patients receive albumin injections, but limited blood supply has made availability challenging, prompting discussion around alternative technologies.

In the early 2000s, Dongkook Pharmaceutical collaborated with the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology to develop a human serum albumin product and obtained a Korean patent for its manufacturing process. Around that time, research began to reveal new benefits of albumin beyond its well-known role in liver health.

Albumin: The Body’s Nutrient Carrier — Deficiency Raises Osteoporosis Risk

The liver, the largest internal organ in the body, is directly connected to the heart, stomach, and intestines. Due to this structure, it plays a vital role in overall health.
Albumin, produced in the liver, transports nutrients absorbed from the stomach and intestines to tissues throughout the body. When albumin levels are insufficient, essential nutrients cannot be delivered efficiently, increasing the risk of various diseases.

For example, reduced serum albumin can lead to calcium deficiency, which in turn raises the risk of osteoporosis.

Albumin circulating in the bloodstream also binds to toxins such as alcohol and drugs and carries them to the liver for detoxification. If albumin cannot perform this function properly, waste removal and detoxification become impaired, often resulting in digestive issues.

Low Albumin Leads to Swelling, High Blood Pressure, and Muscle Loss

Albumin helps maintain blood volume and regulates fluid balance, playing a role in blood pressure control. When albumin levels drop, nutrients may be lost through urine.
According to a U.S. study involving women with an average age of 65, those with the highest urinary albumin excretion had a 76% higher risk of developing hypertension compared to those in the lowest group.

When kidney function declines, its ability to filter proteins weakens, allowing albumin to leak into urine. As a result, fluids that should remain in blood vessels escape into surrounding tissues, causing swelling. Kidney damage is difficult to reverse and significantly increases the risk of future cardiovascular disease.

The liver produces approximately 10–15 grams of albumin per day, and normal serum levels range from 3.5 to 5.3 g/dL—meaning 3.5 to 5.3 grams of albumin per 100 mL of blood. Albumin accounts for about 70% of all proteins in serum, and deficiency significantly increases the risk of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss).

Albumin Protects Nerves and Is Used in Stroke Treatment

Albumin also has neuroprotective properties and is sometimes used in the treatment of cerebral infarction (ischemic stroke).
In a study conducted by Ajou University involving 49 stroke patients divided into a control group and an albumin-treated group, the albumin group showed a reduction in infarct size compared to the control group after three days.

However, when albumin is administered via injection or IV drip, it may be excreted through urine, limiting the duration of its effects. For this reason, longer-lasting nutritional supplement forms may be worth considering.

L-arginine, a basic amino acid that makes up proteins, helps detoxify ammonia produced in the body, similar to albumin. L-aspartic acid is also essential for protein synthesis and ammonia detoxification and supports liver function.

Source: 조선일보 (https://www.chosun.com/)