Whereas this polar bear may easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver could be sufficient to send you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favourite in components of the American South. In Japan, you may order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes could sound to you, not every chicken, fish or mammal essentially affords the most effective ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you can feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, however they've lengthy identified to keep away from eating the livers of varied arctic creatures. In truth, if you ever have the prospect to strive polar bear liver, think twice -- it could be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, realized the exhausting approach. Perhaps the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling 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 instances ended in liver damage, hemorrhage, coma and demise. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief time frame. While milder circumstances merely concerned flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, much like those of arctic seals and huskies, incorporates extraordinarily high ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the following page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry around so much vitamin A in their livers and the way crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fats. As a substitute, it collects within the body's filtration organ, the liver, where it may reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is an important building block for many animals. Which means that, in contrast to different vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the physique in urine. Humans only require it in very small quantities, nevertheless it plays a vital position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies relying on age, gender and physical situation. Without enough vitamin A in your system, you could simply find yourself going through signs just as dangerous as those associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even demise. We sometimes absorb it by way of the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. Actually, their physiology evolved to tolerate so much vitamin A for just one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from holding a certain quantity of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to point they actually require such massive quantities. In case you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals store high ranges of vitamin A in order to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly surroundings. In the wild, polar bears feed nearly exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which retailer excessive levels of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key position in progress and natal development. So if the blue plate special at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might simply need to keep on with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to shortly advance them through their susceptible pup levels. Discover the links on the next 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 one hundred fifteen hen eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at practically twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming need to do with the decline within the polar bear population? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University Division of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Tips. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Training. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for concerning vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Aggressive Consuming. 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 big teddy bear online Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Research Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
