While this polar bear might simply make a meal out of you, one chunk of his liver may very well be sufficient to ship you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favorite in elements of the American South. In Japan, you'll be able to order a heaping helping of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes could sound to you, not each fowl, fish or mammal essentially provides the best components for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you may feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, however they've long known to keep away from consuming the livers of varied arctic creatures. Actually, if you ever have the chance to try polar bear liver, think twice -- it could be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, discovered the hard way. Maybe probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a affected person's feet may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst cases ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and demise. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short period of time. Whereas milder instances merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to those of arctic seals and huskies, accommodates extremely high levels of retinol (the form of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the following page, we'll discover why polar bears carry round a lot vitamin A of their livers and how crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fats. As a substitute, it collects in the physique's filtration organ, the liver, where it will probably attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a crucial constructing block for many animals. Because of this, in contrast to different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the physique in urine. People only require it in very small amounts, nevertheless it plays an important position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal improvement, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies relying on age, gender and bodily condition. Without enough vitamin A in your system, you might simply find yourself facing signs just as unhealthy as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even dying. We usually absorb it by the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In reality, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from conserving a certain quantity of vitamin A of their system, but there's nothing to point they really require such massive portions. Should you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals store high levels of vitamin A so as to swiftly develop and nourish their young in a harsh, chimpanzee teddy bear chilly atmosphere. In the wild, polar bears feed virtually completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store excessive ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays a key role in progress and natal growth. So if the blue plate special 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 quickly advance them via their susceptible pup phases. Explore the links on the subsequent web page to study more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver typically contains as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to a hundred and fifteen hen eggs. That award-winning meal is available in at practically twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does international warming have to 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 Dangerous(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Schooling. 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 brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Competitive 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 College of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Research Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
