While this polar bear may simply make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver could be sufficient to ship you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favourite in parts 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 may sound to you, not every fowl, fish or mammal essentially provides the best components for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you'll 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 identified to avoid eating the livers of assorted arctic creatures. Actually, for those who ever have the possibility to attempt polar bear liver, assume twice -- it will be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, however, learned the laborious approach. Perhaps the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling 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 demise. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a short time frame. While milder cases merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to these of arctic seals and huskies, accommodates extraordinarily excessive levels of retinol (the type of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent 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 solely 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 crucial building block for many animals. Which means that, not like other vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the physique in urine. Humans only require it in very small amounts, but it performs a vital function in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies relying on age, gender and physical situation. With out sufficient vitamin A in your system, you could possibly easily find yourself dealing with symptoms just as bad as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even demise. We typically absorb it via the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. In actual fact, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, big teddy bear online polar bears profit from retaining a specific amount of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to indicate they actually require such giant quantities. When you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals store excessive ranges of vitamin A with a purpose to swiftly develop and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly setting. Within the wild, polar bears feed virtually solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store excessive ranges 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 favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just need to follow a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to shortly advance them by their weak pup phases. Explore the hyperlinks on the subsequent page to be taught extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually comprises as much vitamin A as 79 to one hundred fifteen rooster eggs. That award-successful meal is available in at practically twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming need to do with the decline within the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Department of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Association of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Pointers. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Dangerous(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Schooling. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for concerning vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." 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 College of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Research Council. Rodahl, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
