While this polar bear may simply make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver could possibly be enough to ship you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favorite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes may sound to you, not each hen, fish or mammal essentially provides the perfect substances for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you may feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've lengthy recognized to avoid eating the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In fact, when you ever have the chance to strive polar bear liver, think twice — it will be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, discovered the arduous method. Maybe probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a affected person's toes may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst circumstances ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and death. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief period of time. Whereas milder cases merely concerned flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like those of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extraordinarily high ranges of retinol (the form of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the following web page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry round a lot vitamin A of their livers and the way essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fats. As an alternative, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, where it could attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a vital constructing block for a lot of animals. Which means that, not like different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the body in urine. People only require it in very small amounts, but it surely plays an important role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies depending on age, gender and bodily condition. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you could possibly simply find yourself dealing with signs simply as dangerous as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, development retardation and even dying. We typically absorb it by means of the consumption of foods resembling spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. Actually, their physiology advanced to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from protecting a certain quantity of vitamin A of their system, but there's nothing to indicate they actually require such large portions. If you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals store high ranges of vitamin A to be able to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly setting. Within the wild, polar bears feed almost completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store excessive levels of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key role in progress and natal development. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you may just wish to stick to a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to rapidly advance them by their vulnerable pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the next web page to be taught more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes incorporates as much vitamin A as 79 to one hundred fifteen rooster eggs. That award-winning meal comes in at nearly twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming should do with the decline in the polar bear population? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Department of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes giant panda teddy Animal Care Pointers. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Training. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for concerning vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Competitive Consuming. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Research Middle. Canadian Journal of Zoology. Penniston, Kristina L. and Sherry A. Tanumihardjo. Mos, Lizzy and Peter S. Ross. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The University of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Research Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
