While this polar bear could simply make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver could be sufficient to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favourite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes may sound to you, not every fowl, fish or mammal essentially affords one of the best substances for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you'll feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've lengthy recognized to avoid consuming the livers of varied arctic creatures. The truth is, when you ever have the chance to attempt polar bear liver, think twice -- it could be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, discovered the onerous way. Maybe essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a affected person's toes might peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst instances ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and red panda teddy loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short period of time. Whereas milder circumstances merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to these of arctic seals and huskies, incorporates extremely high levels of retinol (the type of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry round so much vitamin A in their livers and how essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fat. As an alternative, it collects in the body's filtration organ, the liver, the place it will probably reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is a crucial building block for many animals. Because of this, unlike other vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the body in urine. People only require it in very small quantities, however it performs a vital role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, growth, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies depending on age, gender and physical situation. Without sufficient vitamin A in your system, you would easily end up dealing with symptoms simply as unhealthy as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even dying. We typically absorb it by means of the consumption of foods comparable to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. In actual fact, their physiology evolved to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one purpose: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from holding a specific amount of vitamin A of their system, however there's nothing to point they actually require such giant portions. If you happen to 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 in order to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly environment. Within the wild, polar bears feed nearly solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store high ranges of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays a key role in progress and natal growth. So if the blue plate special at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might just wish to keep on with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to shortly advance them by means of their susceptible pup stages. Discover the hyperlinks on the next web page to learn extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes accommodates as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to 115 rooster eggs. That award-successful meal is available in at almost twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming must 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)." Affiliation 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 College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for concerning vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Aggressive 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 Research Council. Rodahl, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
