While this polar bear might easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver might be enough to ship you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favourite in elements of the American South. In Japan, you can order a heaping helping of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes could sound to you, not every chook, fish or mammal necessarily affords the perfect elements for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you may 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 identified to keep away from eating the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In fact, if you ever have the chance to attempt polar bear liver, suppose twice -- it stands out as the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, learned the arduous way. Perhaps essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a patient's toes could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst instances ended in liver damage, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief time frame. Whereas milder cases merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-body pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to those of arctic seals and huskies, contains extremely excessive ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the next page, we'll discover why polar bears carry around 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 fats. As a substitute, it collects in the body's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may well reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is a crucial constructing block for many animals. Which means that, not like other vitamins, large panda teddy excess vitamin A would not exit the physique in urine. People solely require it in very small quantities, nevertheless it plays a vital role 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. Without sufficient vitamin A in your system, you possibly can easily find yourself facing signs just as unhealthy as those related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even loss of life. We typically absorb it through the consumption of foods resembling spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. Actually, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from retaining a certain quantity of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to indicate they actually require such large portions. In case 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 excessive ranges of vitamin A with the intention to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly setting. In the wild, polar bears feed virtually solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store high ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key role in progress and natal development. So if the blue plate special at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might just wish to persist with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them through their vulnerable pup stages. Explore the links on the subsequent web page to be taught more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes accommodates as much vitamin A as 79 to one hundred fifteen chicken eggs. That award-winning meal comes in at nearly twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming need to do with the decline in the polar bear population? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Division of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Association of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Tips. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Dangerous(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. 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 agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Competitive Eating. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Analysis 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 Analysis Council. Rodahl, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
