However, several authors have questioned both (1) the usefulness of albumin as an indicator of malnutrition in the elderly population since this protein is also affected by inflammatory and infectious processes and various diseases and alterations in hydration status [65,66,69,70] and (2) the value of 3.5 g/dl as a cut-off point for MN [69]. The gene discussed is ALB; the disease is nutritional deficiency disease.