While this polar bear may easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver could be sufficient to send you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried hen 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 scrumptious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes may sound to you, not each chicken, fish or mammal essentially affords the very best elements 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 long identified to avoid consuming the livers of varied arctic creatures. In reality, for those who ever have the possibility to strive polar bear liver, think twice -- it would be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, realized the onerous manner. Perhaps probably 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 uncovered. The worst circumstances ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief period of time. While milder circumstances merely involved flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like these of arctic seals and huskies, accommodates extraordinarily excessive ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the following chimpanzee teddy bear web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry around a lot vitamin A of their livers and how crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fats. Instead, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it might reach toxic ranges. Vitamin A is an important building block for many animals. Because of this, not like different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the body in urine. Humans solely require it in very small amounts, but it plays a vital position 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. Without enough vitamin A in your system, you can simply end up facing signs just as bad as those related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even loss of life. We typically absorb it by the consumption of foods akin to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In fact, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one cause: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from preserving a specific amount of vitamin A in their system, but there's nothing to indicate they really require such massive quantities. When 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 retailer excessive ranges of vitamin A so as to swiftly grow and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly setting. In the wild, polar bears feed virtually completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which retailer high levels of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays a key role in growth and natal improvement. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just want to keep on with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to shortly advance them by their susceptible pup phases. Explore the hyperlinks on the subsequent page to be taught more 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-successful meal comes in at almost twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming have to do with the decline in the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University 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 Training. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. 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 College of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Analysis Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
