Parents Were Happy to Receive It, But... Concerns Raised Over "Like Consuming Seasoning" Leave Many Disappointed

Oral Albumin Products Gain Popularity Through Home Shopping and Online Ads

"Albumin Is Only Effective When Administered as an Injection"

Recently, “oral albumin” products have gained popularity, particularly through TV home shopping and online advertisements. These products are marketed as remedies for fatigue and as immunity boosters, but the medical community warns that there is insufficient scientific evidence to support such claims. Experts explain that most of the albumin is broken down during digestion when taken orally, making it difficult to expect any medical benefit.

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On March 9, Professor Seunghoon Lee of the Department of Neurology at Seoul National University Hospital appeared on the YouTube channel 'Knowledge Inside'. When asked about "nutritional supplements that people take but are actually ineffective," Professor Lee replied, "From a scientific perspective, protein supplements are the most absurd."

Professor Lee explained how protein supplements work in the body, stating, "Even if you consume albumin, glutathione, or collagen, they are eventually broken down into amino acids during digestion." He added, "One of the representative amino acids, glutamic acid, is the same ingredient as MSG. Consuming a lot of albumin or glutathione has the same effect as consuming a large amount of seasoning."

He also emphasized, "Albumin is truly important for the body. The liver works hardest to produce albumin." He further explained, "The key issue for patients with liver disease is whether albumin injections are covered by insurance or not." He added, "I thought it was a joke when I heard that albumin suddenly became a trend these days."

Professor Seunghoon Lee of the Department of Neurology at Seoul National University Hospital appeared on the YouTube channel 'Knowledge Inside' on the 9th and pointed out protein supplements as "nutritional supplements that people take but are actually ineffective." Screenshot from YouTube 'Knowledge Inside'

He continued, "Albumin is broken down during digestion if taken orally, so it inevitably has to be administered as an injection," stressing, "In actual treatment settings, albumin is only effective when given by injection."

Former President of the Korean Medical Association, Joo Sooho, also recently stated via social media that "It is an established consensus in the global medical community that albumin is medically beneficial only when administered intravenously to a small number of patients with extremely poor nutritional status," and added, "Giving albumin injections to people with normal nutritional status is a waste of money and offers no benefit whatsoever."

He further criticized, "Claiming that consuming albumin orally is beneficial to health is undoubtedly a scam that misleads the public by abusing the authority of being a doctor," and insisted, "The Korean Medical Association should publicly discipline such unethical doctors."

Meanwhile, albumin is a protein produced in the liver and accounts for more than half of the total protein in the blood. It helps maintain fluid balance in the body and transports hormones and vitamins. In healthy adults, the liver continuously produces about 10 to 15 grams of albumin per day, so there is no need for additional supplementation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.