Whereas this polar bear could 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 lots of diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favorite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you may order a heaping helping of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes may sound to you, not every bird, fish or mammal essentially affords the very best ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Journey 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 lengthy identified to keep away from eating the livers of assorted arctic creatures. The truth is, if you happen to ever have the prospect to strive polar bear liver, assume twice -- it could be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, however, realized the onerous manner. Maybe the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a patient's ft could 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 ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief time frame. Whereas milder cases merely concerned flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, much like those of arctic seals and huskies, incorporates extremely high ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the following page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry around so much vitamin A of their livers and the way essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fat. As a substitute, it collects in the physique's filtration organ, the liver, where it will probably reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is a vital building block for many animals. Which means, not like different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the body in urine. Humans only require it in very small amounts, but it surely performs a significant role 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 condition. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you could possibly simply end up dealing with symptoms just as dangerous as those related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, development retardation and even demise. We sometimes absorb it via the consumption of foods akin to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. In fact, their physiology evolved to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one purpose: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from protecting a specific amount of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to point they actually require such massive portions. Should 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 retailer high levels of vitamin A with a view to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly environment. In the wild, polar bears feed almost exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which retailer high 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 need to persist with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to shortly advance them by their weak pup levels. Discover the links on the next web page to study more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually accommodates as much vitamin A as 79 to 115 hen eggs. That award-profitable 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 in the polar bear population? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University Division of pooh bear soft toy Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Dangerous(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Training. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for relating to vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Aggressive Eating. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Analysis 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.
