Hidden in a test your doctor often runs is an insight into your longevity.
A comprehensive metabolic panel assesses your kidney and liver function as well as electrolyte balance and even the health of your adrenal glands.
With this test, you can gather a plethora of data on your health.
I wasn’t taught in school to dive deep into albumin levels if they weren’t out of range.
My training taught me malnutrition, protein loss from serious gut or kidney conditions and decreased liver production in severely compromised livers would cause low albumin… but you’d likely be quite sick in this case.
If you’re like me you want to age well and prevent a serious condition from getting in the way.
Chances are you’d like to know if something is happening way before levels dip into the low range.
With all lab values it’s crucial to ask – what is optimal vs average?
Lab reference ranges vary quite a bit depending on lab company.
For example…Albumin range for Quest is 3.6-5.1 g/dL vs Labcorp 3.8-4.8 g/dL…and you’ll see this same pattern with almost any lab value.
So how do you know what lab value is the optimal?
You have to dive into research.
The mean median albumin has been found be 4.7 g/dL while anything below 4.3 g/dL comes with an increased risk of mortality. (click “Read More” below for the research).
What does low albumin mean for someone who’s relatively healthy and shooting for an optimal range?
It indicates there may be inflammation in the body.
The mission becomes – to find where the inflammation is brewing and put out the fire.
Just taking tumeric isn’t going to do the trick.
This type of thing requires some sleuthing.
Chances are there are clues hidden in areas of your health you’d like to improve or are currently experiencing symptoms.
It’s likely you’ve had a comprehensive metabolic panel run recently with an annual check up.
Go take a look and see where you stand.
If you’re below 4.3 it’s time to assess where you may be inflamed, what’s contributing and start working on a solution.
I can help with this! (click HERE and let’s talk it over)
Next email I’ll dive into how circulation and albumin are connected, plus what this means when it comes to improving your longevity.
Want to see the main research paper that got me thinking more on albumin?
Click “Read More” below to check it out.
Here’s to getting ahead of aging,
Dr. J
