While this polar bear may easily make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver could possibly be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favourite in components of the American South. In Japan, you can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes might sound to you, not each bird, fish or mammal necessarily offers one of the best elements for a culinary masterpiece. Travel 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, however they've lengthy recognized to avoid consuming the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In actual fact, in case you ever have the chance to strive polar bear liver, suppose twice -- it may be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, discovered the exhausting manner. 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 could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst cases ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and demise. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief time period. Whereas milder instances merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like those of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extraordinarily high ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry round a lot vitamin A in their livers and the way crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fat. As an alternative, it collects within the body's filtration organ, the liver, where it may possibly attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a crucial constructing block for a lot of animals. Which means that, in contrast to different vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the body in urine. Humans only require it in very small quantities, however it performs a vital role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal improvement, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies depending on age, gender and physical situation. With out sufficient vitamin A in your system, you could possibly easily end up facing symptoms simply as dangerous as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, development retardation and even demise. We usually absorb it by way of the consumption of foods comparable to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In fact, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from keeping a certain amount of vitamin A of their system, however there's small teddy bear online nothing to indicate they really require such large quantities. If you happen to ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals retailer excessive levels of vitamin A with a purpose to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly setting. In the wild, polar bears feed nearly solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which retailer excessive ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key function 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 wish to keep on with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to shortly advance them via their vulnerable pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the following web page to learn extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually accommodates as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to one hundred fifteen chicken eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at practically twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming need to do with the decline in the polar bear population? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Division of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Association of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Pointers. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Training. 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. International federation of Aggressive Eating. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Analysis 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, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
