While this polar bear could easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver may very well be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried hen livers are a favourite in components of the American South. In Japan, panda teddy bear shop near me you 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 each bird, fish or mammal essentially provides the very best components for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you can feast on conventional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've lengthy identified to keep away from consuming the livers of varied arctic creatures. Actually, for those who ever have the chance to try polar bear liver, assume twice -- it would be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, learned the onerous means. Perhaps the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a patient's toes could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst circumstances ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and demise. 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 involved flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-physique skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like these of arctic seals and huskies, incorporates extremely excessive ranges of retinol (the form of vitamin A present 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. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fat. Instead, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, where it could actually reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is a vital constructing block for many animals. Which means that, not like different vitamins, excess vitamin A does not exit the physique in urine. Humans only require it in very small amounts, however it plays a significant function in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies depending on age, gender and bodily condition. Without sufficient vitamin A in your system, you possibly can easily end up going through symptoms just as dangerous as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even death. We usually absorb it through the consumption of foods corresponding to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. Actually, their physiology evolved to tolerate so much vitamin A for just one cause: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from conserving a specific amount of vitamin A of their system, however there's nothing to indicate they actually require such massive quantities. If you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals retailer high ranges of vitamin A as a way to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly surroundings. Within the wild, polar bears feed nearly completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store 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 favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you may simply wish to persist with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to quickly advance them by means of their weak pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the subsequent web page to be taught more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes incorporates as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to one hundred fifteen rooster eggs. That award-winning meal is available in at almost 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 University Division of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Pointers. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for concerning vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Competitive 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 Research Council. Rodahl, Okay. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
