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Albumin is a protein made by your liver. A low level can point to a liver or kidney condition, and a high level can point to dehydration.[1]
On this page you can read what albumin is, what the guidelines say about a level that is too low or too high, what affects your level and which values are best to look at alongside it.
Also known as: ALB, serum albumin. At the lab: ALBLG.
Albumin is a protein made by your liver. Your blood is made up of fluid and blood cells. Albumin keeps that fluid inside your blood vessels, so it does not leak into other tissue.[1]
If you have too little albumin, fluid can leak out of your blood and build up in your lungs, your abdomen or other parts of your body. Albumin also helps to carry important substances, such as hormones, vitamins and enzymes.[1]
Albumin is often measured as part of a group of blood tests for substances your liver makes: the liver function tests. It can also be part of a standard group of routine tests that measures 14 substances in your blood.[1]
With an albumin test, your doctor looks at your general health and your nutrition. The test also shows how well your liver and your kidneys are working.[1]
If your liver is damaged or you are not getting enough nutrition, your liver may not make enough albumin. If your kidneys are damaged, they may let albumin pass from your blood into your urine.[1]
A doctor can also use the test to follow how a value changes during care for a liver or kidney condition.[1]
With some kidney conditions, you may not notice anything for a long time. Symptoms sometimes only appear at a later stage.[1]
Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with, uses a reference value for albumin of 35 to 47 g/l. The lab calls a value between those limits normal.[2]
| Value | What it can mean | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 35 to 47 g/l[2] | The lab calls this value normal | The lab does not name a separate group |
Source: Labplusarts, the lab's reference value for albumin (ALBLG) in the blood.[2]
A lower level than normal can point to a liver or kidney condition, to too little protein in your diet or to a digestive condition in which your body makes poor use of the protein in food. Burns over a large part of your body or a thyroid condition can also lower the level. A value outside the normal range does not always point to a condition that needs care.[1]
A higher level than normal can point to dehydration, for example from severe diarrhoea or from another cause.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
If you have not eaten for 24 to 48 hours, your albumin level can be lower than normal. You do not need to prepare in any special way for the albumin test itself. If your doctor also orders other blood tests, you sometimes need to fast for a number of hours.[1]
Some medicines can raise your albumin level, such as steroids, insulin and hormones. Others, such as the contraceptive pill, can lower it. Tell your doctor which medicines you take, and do not stop taking a medicine without talking to your doctor first.[1]
If you are pregnant, your albumin level is lower.[1]
Dehydration can raise your albumin level. This can happen, for example, because of severe diarrhoea.[1]
Albumin is included in all five packages, from BioProfile 31 to BioProfile 150.[3]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 4 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 4 October 2026. Every number on this page appears in one of those sources, with that source's number next to it. An expert is still to review this page; after that review, the expert's name and the date of the review will appear at the top. This page gives explanation, not a diagnosis. Discuss a level outside the range with your GP.
