Whereas this polar bear could easily make a meal out of you, one chunk of his liver could possibly be sufficient to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favourite in components of the American South. In Japan, you possibly can order a heaping helping of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes could sound to you, not each fowl, fish or mammal essentially cute panda teddy affords the most effective ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you'll feast on conventional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, however they've lengthy known to keep away from eating the livers of varied arctic creatures. The truth is, in the event you ever have the prospect to try polar bear liver, think twice -- it stands out as the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, discovered the laborious manner. Maybe probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a patient's toes might peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst cases ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and dying. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief time period. While milder cases merely involved flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-body pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like these of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extraordinarily high levels of retinol (the form of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent web page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry round a lot vitamin A in their livers and how crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fat. Instead, it collects in the body's filtration organ, the liver, where it might probably reach toxic ranges. Vitamin A is a vital building block for a lot of animals. This means that, in contrast to other vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the body in urine. Humans solely require it in very small quantities, nevertheless it plays an important function in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies depending on age, gender and physical situation. With out sufficient vitamin A in your system, you would simply end up going through signs simply as unhealthy as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even demise. We typically absorb it by way of the consumption of foods corresponding to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In fact, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from protecting a certain quantity of vitamin A of their system, however there's nothing to point they actually require such giant quantities. In the event you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals store high levels of vitamin A with a purpose to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly setting. Within the wild, polar bears feed nearly completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store high ranges of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key position in growth and natal development. So if the blue plate particular at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just need to follow a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to quickly advance them by way of their susceptible pup stages. Explore the links on the subsequent page to be taught more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver typically accommodates as much vitamin A as 79 to a hundred and fifteen rooster eggs. That award-profitable meal comes in at almost twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming should do with the decline within the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University Division of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Association of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Pointers. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Training. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for concerning vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Aggressive Eating. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Research Heart. 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.
