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Blood albumin
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
Blood albumin is a very important protein component of human blood. The name comes from the Latin word - white (albus). It is a protein that is highly soluble in salty and acidic media, and, moreover, the protein is almost pure, as it does not contain a single milligram of carbohydrates.
One of the most basic, numerous, albumin is present not only in the human body, but also in the proteins of chicken eggs, in some plants, its plant and animal species is called albuminoid. In humans, albumin is produced in large quantities by the liver. Albumin in the blood is the carrier of all twenty essential amino acids.
Albumin in the blood performs an important task - it is responsible for the transport of fatty acids, so necessary for the body, bile microelements, and pigments - bilirubin. In addition, despite its small size, albumin copes with the transfer of vitamins and medicinal components - antibiotics, hormones, and sometimes some toxic substances. In medicine, it is jokingly called - molecule-taxi. Such functions are due to the excellent binding properties of albumin, and this “vehicle” is not whimsically choosing passengers. A huge list of substances that the albumin molecule is capable of binding is truly impressive. Also, this protein regulates plasma, osmotic pressure and, if a person starts starving for some reason, it is the plasma protein that is consumed first, and the osmotic blood pressure drops.
In dry form, human blood contains up to 65% of this important element. Actually, how much albumin in the blood of a person, so he and a healthy body. Blood albumin is also called serum, because it is contained there. Protein albumin molecules are also found in other media of the body, for example, albumin is also present in the cerebrospinal fluid.
[Norma albumin in the blood
The amount of protein depends primarily on age. One liter of blood in babies should contain at least 55g of albumin. Older people can not boast of so rich in protein in blood - they are considered to be the normal level to 45 g. The norm of a middle-aged person ranges from thirty to fifty grams per liter of blood. The concentration of whey protein is determined by special analysis, by which protein metabolism in the blood plasma is evaluated. Such a study is necessary to clarify the diagnosis of many diseases, especially the pathologies of the kidneys and liver, in which albumin itself is born. Albumin is assessed by serum, but urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and other biological material where albumin may be present can also be studied.
Albumin is one of the main "building" materials, especially important for the growing body of the child. Protein starvation leads to the fact that the young body does not receive the amino acids it needs, because albumin in the blood is consumed more intensively than usual with a normal healthy diet. In a word, albumin in the blood is not just a large number of active proteins, but a biologically significant element, perhaps the most important part of the blood.