Whereas this polar bear might easily make a meal out of you, one chunk of his liver could be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried hen livers are a favorite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you'll be able to order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes might sound to you, not each bird, fish or mammal necessarily provides one of the best components for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you'll feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've long known to avoid eating the livers of varied arctic creatures. In actual fact, for those who ever have the prospect to strive polar bear liver, assume twice -- it could be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, however, discovered the laborious means. 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 ft could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst circumstances ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a short period of time. While milder instances merely involved flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, much like these of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extremely high levels of retinol (the form of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the next web page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry around so much vitamin A in their livers and how crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fats. Instead, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it will possibly reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is an important building block for many animals. Which means, in contrast to other vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the physique in urine. People only require it in very small amounts, but it performs an important role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies depending on age, gender and physical we bare bears soft toy situation. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you possibly can easily find yourself going through signs just as dangerous as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, development retardation and even death. We usually absorb it by way of the consumption of foods such as spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In fact, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from holding a certain quantity of vitamin A in their system, but there's nothing to point they really require such massive quantities. If you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd suffer from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals store high ranges of vitamin A so as to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly environment. Within the wild, polar bears feed almost exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which retailer high levels of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key role in growth and natal improvement. So if the blue plate special at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just want to persist with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to shortly advance them via their weak pup phases. Explore the links on the next page to be taught extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually comprises as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to one hundred fifteen rooster eggs. That award-winning meal is available in at nearly twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does international warming should do with the decline in the polar bear inhabitants? 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 Schooling. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for relating to vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Competitive 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 University of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Analysis Council. Rodahl, Okay. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
