While this polar bear might simply make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver may very well be enough to ship you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favourite in elements of the American South. In Japan, you can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes might sound to you, not each chook, fish or mammal essentially gives the best components for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you may 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 identified to keep away from consuming the livers of various arctic creatures. In fact, in case you ever have the prospect to attempt polar bear liver, assume twice -- it could be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, realized the onerous way. Perhaps probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a patient's ft might peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst circumstances ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and dying. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short time frame. While milder cases merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to these 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 following page, we'll discover why polar bears carry around 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 solely dissolves in fat. As a substitute, it collects within the body's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may well reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is an important building block for a lot of animals. Which means that, unlike other vitamins, excess vitamin A does not exit the body in urine. People only require it in very small amounts, but it performs a significant function 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 enough vitamin A in your system, you could possibly easily find yourself dealing with symptoms just as dangerous as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even loss of life. We typically absorb it by way of the consumption of foods akin to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. In actual fact, their physiology advanced to tolerate so much vitamin A for just one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from retaining a specific amount of vitamin A of their system, but there's nothing to indicate they actually require such giant quantities. In the event you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd suffer from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals retailer excessive levels of vitamin A in an effort to swiftly develop and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly environment. Within the wild, polar bears feed virtually completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which retailer high levels of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key position in growth and natal development. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you may just wish to persist with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to quickly advance them by way of their weak pup phases. Explore the hyperlinks on the next web page to learn more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually contains as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to a hundred and fifteen chicken eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at nearly twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming should do with the decline within the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Department of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Association of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) 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 just6f.com/ anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Competitive 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. E-mail interview.
