While this polar bear could easily make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver may very well be enough to ship you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favourite in elements of the American South. In Japan, you can order a heaping helping of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes might sound to you, not each bird, fish or mammal essentially offers the best elements for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you'll feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've long known to keep away from eating the livers of various arctic creatures. In truth, should you ever have the possibility to attempt polar bear liver, think twice -- it would be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, however, learned the hard means. Perhaps probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a affected person's toes may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst cases ended in liver damage, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief period of time. Whereas milder cases merely concerned flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-physique skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like those of arctic seals and huskies, accommodates extremely excessive levels of retinol (the form of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the next web page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry around so much vitamin A in their livers and the way essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fat. As an alternative, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may possibly attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is an important constructing block for a lot of animals. Because of this, in contrast to different vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the physique in urine. Humans only require it in very small amounts, however it plays an important role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies depending on age, gender and bodily situation. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you could possibly easily find yourself going through signs just as unhealthy as chimpanzee teddy bear these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even demise. We usually absorb it by means of the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. In reality, their physiology evolved to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one cause: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from holding a certain quantity of vitamin A of their system, but there's nothing to point they really require such large quantities. When you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals store excessive ranges of vitamin A in order to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly surroundings. In the wild, polar bears feed almost solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which retailer excessive levels of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays a key position in development and natal development. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just need to stick to a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to shortly advance them via their susceptible pup levels. Explore the links on the following page to be taught extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes comprises as much vitamin A as 79 to a hundred and fifteen rooster eggs. That award-profitable meal comes in at practically twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming need to do with the decline in the polar bear population? 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 Tips. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for regarding vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Competitive Consuming. 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.
