Whereas this polar bear may simply make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver might be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favourite in components of the American South. In Japan, you possibly can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes might sound to you, not each fowl, fish or mammal necessarily offers the most effective ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you may feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, however they've long known to keep away from eating the livers of various arctic creatures. In reality, should you ever have the possibility to strive polar bear liver, assume twice -- it would be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, discovered the onerous manner. Maybe essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a patient's toes may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst cases ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and dying. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief time period. While milder circumstances merely involved 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, contains extremely high levels 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 round a lot vitamin A of their livers and how crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fat. Instead, it collects in the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it could attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a crucial constructing block for many animals. This means that, unlike different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the body in urine. Humans solely require it in very small amounts, however it plays an important function in eyesight, reproduction, fetal improvement, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies relying on age, gender and bodily situation. Without enough vitamin A in your system, you could simply find yourself going through symptoms just as dangerous as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even loss of life. We usually absorb it by means of the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. Actually, their physiology advanced to tolerate so much vitamin A for just one cause: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from maintaining a certain quantity of vitamin A of their system, however there's nothing to point they really require such large portions. For those who ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd suffer from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals store high ranges of vitamin A with the intention to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly environment. In the wild, polar bears feed virtually exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which retailer excessive levels of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key function in growth and natal improvement. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might simply want to stick to a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to rapidly advance them via their teddy bear big teddy bear weak pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the next web page to learn more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually accommodates as a lot vitamin A as 79 to a hundred and fifteen chicken eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at practically twice the tolerable upper 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 Department of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Association of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for regarding vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Competitive Eating. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Analysis 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, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
