Whereas this polar bear might simply make a meal out of you, one chunk of his liver could be sufficient to ship you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried hen livers are a favorite in components of the American South. In Japan, you possibly can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes may sound to you, not each bird, fish or mammal essentially provides the best ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you can feast on conventional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've lengthy recognized to avoid consuming the livers of varied arctic creatures. Actually, in the event you ever have the chance to attempt polar bear liver, suppose twice -- it would be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, learned the arduous approach. Perhaps essentially 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 feet may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst cases ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short time period. While 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, incorporates extraordinarily high ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent web page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry around a lot vitamin A of their livers and how crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fat. As a substitute, it collects in the body's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may possibly reach toxic ranges. Vitamin A is a crucial building block for many animals. Because of this, in contrast to other vitamins, excess vitamin A does not exit the physique in urine. Humans only require it in very small quantities, but it surely plays a significant function in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, growth, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies relying on age, gender and bodily situation. With out sufficient vitamin A in your system, you would simply find yourself dealing with signs just as dangerous as those associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even loss of life. We usually absorb it by the consumption of foods comparable to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In truth, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one cause: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from keeping a specific amount of vitamin A in their system, but there's nothing to indicate they actually require such giant quantities. If you happen to ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd suffer from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals retailer excessive ranges of vitamin A to be able to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly surroundings. In the wild, polar bears feed almost exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which retailer high ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays 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 simply need to persist with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them by their weak pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the following web page to study extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually contains as much vitamin A as seventy nine to 115 rooster eggs. That award-winning meal comes in at nearly twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming must do with the decline within the polar bear population? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University Department 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 small teddy bear online College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for relating to 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 Center. Canadian Journal of Zoology. Penniston, Kristina L. and Sherry A. Tanumihardjo. Mos, Lizzy and Peter S. Ross. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The College of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Research Council. Rodahl, Okay. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
