Hypoalbuminemia in cirrhosis (low albumin)
What is Albumin?
Albumin is a protein made by your liver. It has two main jobs:
- Keeps fluid inside your blood vessels (like a sponge holding water in place)
- Carries important substances in your blood like hormones, vitamins, and medications
With cirrhosis several things happen that lead to low albumin:
1. The liver can’t make enough albumin
- The liver is like a factory that produces albumin.
- In cirrhosis, much of the factory is damaged so albumin production drops.
2. Albumin gets diluted
- Cirrhosis often causes fluid buildup in the abdomen (called ascites).
- This extra fluid makes albumin levels in the blood appear even lower.
Why does low albumin matter?
When albumin is low:
- Fluid leaks out of blood vessels into tissues
- This can cause:Swelling in the legs (edema), fluid in the abdomen (ascites) and sometimes fatigue and weakness
Think of albumin like a sponge holding fluid inside your bloodstream—when the sponge isn't big enough to hold all the fluid it “leaks out.”
- Cirrhosis damages the liver
- The liver makes less albumin
- Low albumin leads to fluid buildup and swelling
What is AlbuHEP
AlbuHEP is a clinically proven, specifically tailored blend of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) that help your liver make Albumin. The BCAAs in AlbuHEP are: L-Leucine, L-Valine & L-Isoleucine
What is a Branched Chain Amino Acid?
There are 20 amino acids the body needs to function. Of these 20, three are branched chain amino acids.
These BCAAs are
- L-Leucine
- L-Valine
- L-Isoleucine
These three are important as these are the most needed in regard to percentage of amino acid makeup your body needs to create proteins, including Albumin.
How does AlbuHEP Help low albumin?
AlbuHEP supplies the most in demand Amino Acids as a percentage of total body need to build proteins, including Albumin.
As a reminder, Albumin is made in the liver and when the liver is damage, it may need extra help to produce Albumin.
By supplying enough of these in-demand Amino Acids, the liver has extra resources needed to produce Albumin.
Other benfits that AlbuHEP may provide
Clinical trails with the BCAA formualtion in AlbuHEP have shown other benefits beyond the increase in Albumin.
Benefits that may be found by taking AlbuHEP are:
- Living longer- known as event free survival
- Reduction in side effects of liver disease such as: ascites, peripheral edema, hepatic encephalopathy and jaundice
- Improvement in overall quality of life
AlbuHEP and diet
AlbuHEP is not a substitute for a proper diet.
For AlbuHEP to work and help raise your Albumin, it needs to be taken in conjuction with a proper diet.
Side effects seen with AlbuHEP
Side effects seen with the BCAA formulation found in AlbuHEP are as follows:
- Abdominal Distension: 2.1%
- diarrhea: 1.2%
- Constipation: 1.0%
- Elevated ammonia: 0.8%
Dosing AlbuHEP
Mixing AlbuHEP
Penguin Medical manufactures and distributes AlbuHEP. HepLOLA for Hepatic Encephalopathy, also from Penguin Medical has been trusted by Hospitals and Health care providers for over 5 years.