nutritional status

Albumin Testing: A Key Protein in Your Blood
Albumin Testing: A Key Protein in Your Blood 1024 1024 ALLIANCE™ Laboratories

What is Albumin?

Albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood plasma, produced primarily by the liver.  It plays several essential roles in the body, from maintaining fluid balance to transporting hormones, vitamins, and drugs throughout the bloodstream, which is why albumin testing is important. This protein is essential for various bodily functions, including:

Maintaining Fluid Balance: Albumin helps regulate the movement of water between tissues and the bloodstream, preventing swelling or edema.

Transporting Substances: Albumin acts as a carrier protein, transporting hormones, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and drugs through the blood. This transport function ensures that these substances reach the tissues and organs that need them.

Binding and Detoxification: Albumin binds to waste products, such as bilirubin and toxins, helping to remove them from the body efficiently.

Alliance provides comprehensive albumin testing services to help diagnose and monitor various health conditions, including liver and kidney diseases. 

Importance of Albumin

Albumin levels in the blood are a crucial indicator of overall health, particularly liver and kidney function. Abnormal albumin levels can indicate various health conditions and help guide diagnostic and treatment decisions. Here’s why albumin is essential:

Indicator of Liver Health: Since the liver produces albumin, low levels can indicate liver disease or liver damage. Conditions like cirrhosis, hepatitis, or liver failure can reduce albumin production, leading to a drop in blood albumin levels.

Kidney Function: Albumin levels can provide insight into kidney health. Normally, albumin is not lost in the urine in significant amounts. However, kidney damage can cause albumin to leak into the urine, leading to low albumin levels in the blood, a condition known as albuminuria. This can be an early sign of chronic kidney disease.

Nutritional Status: Albumin levels can also reflect a person’s nutritional status. Low levels may indicate malnutrition or a diet deficient in protein, while high levels can suggest dehydration.

Response to Infection and Trauma: Infections, severe burns, or chronic inflammation can lead to a drop in albumin levels as the body uses its resources to respond to these conditions.

The Importance of Albumin Testing

Albumin testing is a simple and effective way to assess the overall health and functioning of major organs, particularly the liver and kidneys. Understanding albumin levels can provide valuable insights into several health conditions:

Diagnosis of Liver Diseases: Low albumin levels may be a sign of liver diseases such as cirrhosis or hepatitis. By measuring albumin levels, healthcare providers can assess liver function and diagnose liver-related conditions.

Monitoring Kidney Function: Albumin testing helps detect and monitor kidney disease. Elevated albumin in the urine (albuminuria) indicates that the kidneys are not filtering properly, which can be an early sign of kidney damage.

Assessing Nutritional Status: Albumin levels are often used to evaluate nutritional status, particularly in patients with chronic illnesses or those recovering from surgery. Low albumin levels can indicate poor nutrition or malabsorption conditions.

Evaluating Dehydration: Elevated albumin levels may indicate dehydration, as reduced fluid levels concentrate the protein in the blood. In such cases, albumin testing helps confirm the need for rehydration.

Our Albumin Testing Service

At Alliance we offer precise and reliable albumin testing to support the diagnosis and management of various health conditions. Below are the details of our albumin test:

Albumin Test Details

Specimen Requirement: The test requires a blood sample, collected in a o.5ml serum separator tube (red-grey marble). Proper sample handling is critical to ensure the accuracy of test results.

Stability of Specimen: The sample is stable for up to 7 days at ambient temperature and up to one month when refrigerated. Note that specimens will be discarded after 14 days of storage to ensure the integrity of the test.

Clinical Utility of Albumin Testing

Albumin testing is a valuable tool for diagnosing and monitoring numerous diseases. Elevated levels of albumin can indicate dehydration, as the concentration of albumin increases when fluid levels are low. On the other hand, low levels of albumin can result from kidney or liver disease, infections, or severe burns. Regular monitoring of albumin levels is crucial for patients with chronic conditions affecting these organs, as it helps guide treatment decisions and assess the effectiveness of interventions.

Monitoring Albumin Levels for Better Health

Understanding your albumin levels is crucial for diagnosing potential liver or kidney diseases and assessing your nutritional and hydration status. Our full-service laboratory provides accurate and comprehensive albumin testing, offering valuable insights into your health that can help you and your healthcare provider make informed decisions.

Essential Vitamin and Mineral Testing
Essential Vitamin and Mineral Testing 1024 1024 ALLIANCE™ Laboratories

Vitamins and minerals are crucial for maintaining health and optimal functioning of our bodies. Deficiencies or imbalances can lead to a variety of health issues.  ALLIANCE™ offers comprehensive vitamin and mineral testing services to help you understand your nutritional status and take steps towards better health. So what are the nutrients we test for and what impact do they have on your health? 

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is essential for energy production, brain function, and cell metabolism. It plays a key role in forming red blood cells and maintaining a healthy nervous system, crucial for DNA synthesis and cell function, especially in blood and nerve tissues.

Testing for B12 levels helps diagnose conditions like pernicious anemia and megaloblastic anemia, and assess issues related to malabsorption and neurological disorders. In cases of suspected deficiency, homocysteine and methylmalonic acid tests are used to detect issues even when B12 levels appear normal.

Where to find Vitamin B12?

  • Meat: Beef, liver, and chicken.
  • Seafood: Salmon, trout, tuna, and sardines.
  • Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yogurt.
  • Eggs: Particularly the yolks.

Since there are no plant sources of B12, it puts vegetarians and vegans at a higher risk of developing a vitamin B12 deficiency. 

Vitamin D 25-OH

Vitamin D 25-OH is the major circulating form of vitamin D. Vitamin D is crucial for bone health and calcium absorption. It also influences immune function and has been linked to mood regulation and disease prevention.

Where to find Vitamin D 25-OH?

The most natural way to get vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight. When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it produces vitamin D naturally. There are dietary sources of vitamin D as well:

  • Fatty Fish: Salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
  • Fortified Foods: Milk, orange juice, and cereals.
  • Mushrooms: Especially varieties treated with UV light.

Folate (Vitamin B9)

Folate is essential for DNA synthesis and repair, making it crucial during periods of rapid growth such as pregnancy and infancy.

Most useful when ordered with vitamin B12 and red cell folic acid.

Where to find folate?

  • Green Leafy Vegetables: Spinach, kale, and Brussels sprouts.
  • Fruits: Citrus fruits, bananas, and avocados.
  • Legumes: Beans, peas, and lentils.
  • Nuts and Seeds: Particularly sunflower seeds and almonds.
  • Fortified Grains: Many cereals and some breads have added folate.

Iron and TIBC (Total Iron-Binding Capacity)

Iron is vital for many biological functions, primarily for forming hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. This test aids in the evaluation of a number of conditions involving red cell production and destruction, iron metabolism, or iron transport. 

Increased total iron binding capacity is often seen in iron deficiency states, parental iron administration, pregnancy without iron supplements, and hepatitis or hepatic necrosis. Decreased concentrations are often seen in chronic disorders, kwashiorkor, chronic iron overloading, and malignancies.

Ferritin

Ferritin reflects iron stores in the body and is critical for transporting oxygen in the blood.

It helps to evaluate microcytic anemia, iron storage diseases, iron metabolism disease. Useful for the differential diagnosis of anemia of chronic disease (ACD) versus iron deficiency anemia.

Where to find iron?

  • Red Meat: Beef and lamb are excellent sources.
  • Poultry: Chicken and turkey, especially dark meat.
  • Seafood: Oysters, clams, and mussels.
  • Legumes: Lentils and chickpeas.
  • Leafy Greens: Spinach and Swiss chard.
  • Fortified Foods: Iron-fortified cereals and breads.

Zinc

Zinc is important for immune function, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and cell division.

It also contributes to hormone production, including testosterone, which is important for reproductive and overall health. 

Where to find zinc?

  • Meat: Beef, pork, and lamb.
  • Seafood: Oysters, crab, and lobster.
  • Dairy Products: Milk and cheese.
  • Legumes: Chickpeas, lentils, and beans.
  • Nuts and Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, cashews, and almonds.

Specimens required for Vitamin and Mineral Testing:

1 dark blue

1 speckled top tube 

1 lavender tube 

1 green top tube 

1 plain red tube 

Why Test for Vitamins and Minerals?

Nutrient deficiencies can be subtle or asymptomatic until they become severe. Testing helps identify these deficiencies early, allowing for timely dietary adjustments or supplementation to prevent complications. Additionally, testing can support individuals with specific health concerns or dietary restrictions and can assist healthcare providers in managing various health conditions.

Conclusion

At ALLIANCE™ , we are committed to providing you with accurate and actionable health insights through our comprehensive vitamin and mineral testing services. Whether you are experiencing symptoms of deficiency, undergoing health changes, or simply aiming for a healthier lifestyle, our tests can provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your health. Take charge of your health by understanding your nutritional needs through precise and reliable testing.

Enter your
text here