Whereas this polar bear might easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver may very well 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'll be able to order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes may sound to you, not each fowl, fish or mammal essentially presents the perfect elements for a culinary masterpiece. Journey 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 recognized to avoid consuming the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In reality, in case you ever have the prospect to attempt polar bear liver, assume twice -- it may be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, discovered the onerous manner. Maybe essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a patient's toes may 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 condition ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief time period. While milder cases merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-physique skin loss. The polar bear's liver, much like those of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extremely excessive ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the following web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry round so much vitamin A in their livers and the way essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas 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 reach toxic ranges. Vitamin A is a crucial constructing block for many animals. Which means that, unlike other vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the body in urine. Humans only require it in very small quantities, but it surely performs a significant position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies depending on age, gender and physical condition. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you might simply find yourself facing signs simply as dangerous as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, development retardation and even death. We usually absorb it by the consumption of foods reminiscent of spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. The truth is, their physiology evolved to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one purpose: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from preserving a certain quantity of vitamin A of their system, but there's nothing to indicate they actually require such massive portions. If you happen to ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals store excessive levels of vitamin A in an effort to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly atmosphere. Within the wild, polar bears feed almost completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which retailer excessive levels of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key function in growth and natal improvement. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly simply need to stick with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to rapidly advance them by way of their weak pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the subsequent page to learn extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes comprises as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to 115 chicken eggs. That award-successful meal is available in at almost twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does international warming should do with the decline within the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University Department 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 Schooling. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for regarding vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Aggressive Consuming. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Research 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, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. cute panda teddy E-mail interview.
