Whereas this polar bear might easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver could be enough to ship you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favorite in components of the American South. In Japan, you may order a heaping helping of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes could sound to you, not every hen, fish or mammal necessarily provides one of the best elements for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you'll 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 long identified to keep away from eating the livers of various arctic creatures. In actual fact, for those who ever have the prospect to try polar bear liver, think twice -- it often is the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, learned the onerous means. Perhaps the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a affected person's feet might peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst circumstances ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short time frame. Whereas milder cases merely concerned flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like those of arctic seals and huskies, accommodates extraordinarily excessive ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent page, we'll uncover 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 solely dissolves in fat. Instead, it collects in the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may possibly reach toxic ranges. Vitamin A is an important building block for many animals. Because of this, not like other vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the physique in urine. People solely require it in very small quantities, but it surely plays an important position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, growth, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies depending on age, gender and physical condition. Without sufficient vitamin A in your system, you would simply end up dealing with symptoms simply as bad as those related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even demise. We sometimes absorb it by the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied 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 conserving a certain quantity of vitamin A in their system, but there's nothing to indicate 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 retailer excessive ranges of vitamin A with the intention to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly environment. Within the wild, polar bears feed nearly completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store excessive ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key role in development and natal improvement. So if the blue plate special at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might simply wish to persist with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to shortly advance them by means of their weak pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the subsequent web page to study extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver typically contains as much vitamin A as seventy nine to 115 rooster eggs. That award-winning meal is available in at almost panda teddy bear online twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does international 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 Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Dangerous(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. 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 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 University of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Analysis Council. Rodahl, Okay. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
