Whereas this polar bear may simply 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 chicken livers are a favorite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you possibly can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes could sound to you, not every chicken, fish or mammal essentially gives one of the best substances for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you can 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 recognized to keep away from eating the livers of varied arctic creatures. Actually, in case you ever have the chance to try polar bear liver, think twice -- it stands out as the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, discovered the laborious means. Perhaps probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a affected person's ft may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst cases ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and death. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short time frame. While milder instances merely concerned flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-body pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to those of arctic seals and huskies, contains extremely high ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the next web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry around so much vitamin A of their livers and the way crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fats. As an alternative, it collects in the body's filtration organ, the liver, where it could actually attain toxic ranges. Vitamin A is an important building block for many animals. Which means, unlike different vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the body in urine. People solely require it in very small quantities, but it surely plays a vital position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies relying on age, gender and bodily condition. With out sufficient vitamin A in your system, you might easily find yourself facing signs simply as dangerous as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, we bare bears soft toy growth retardation and even demise. We usually absorb it by means of the consumption of foods akin to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. In reality, their physiology evolved to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one reason: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from keeping a certain quantity of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to indicate they really require such giant portions. When you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd suffer from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals store high ranges of vitamin A so as to swiftly develop and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly environment. In the wild, polar bears feed virtually completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store excessive levels of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key function in growth and natal improvement. So if the blue plate special at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you may just need to keep on with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to quickly advance them through their susceptible pup levels. Discover the hyperlinks on the next page to learn more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes contains as much vitamin A as 79 to a hundred and fifteen chicken eggs. That award-profitable meal comes in at almost twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global 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 Training. 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 brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Aggressive Consuming. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Analysis 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 Research Council. Rodahl, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
