While this polar bear may simply make a meal out of you, one chunk of his liver might be sufficient to ship you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favorite in elements of the American South. In Japan, you possibly can order a heaping helping of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes might sound to you, not every bird, fish or mammal essentially presents the most effective ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you can 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 eating the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In fact, in the event you ever have the prospect to try polar bear liver, suppose twice -- it could be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, however, discovered the hard means. Maybe the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a affected person's toes might peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst circumstances ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and dying. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief time frame. Whereas milder instances merely concerned flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-physique skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to those of arctic seals and huskies, contains extremely excessive ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the next page, we'll uncover 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 fats. As an alternative, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it could actually attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is an important constructing block for many animals. This means that, unlike different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the body in urine. People solely require it in very small quantities, but it plays an important position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies relying on age, gender and physical condition. Without enough vitamin A in your system, you may easily end up going through signs just as bad as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even loss of life. We typically absorb it via the consumption of foods akin to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In truth, their physiology advanced to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one cause: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from preserving a certain amount of vitamin A of their system, however there's nothing to indicate they really require such large portions. If you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from panda teddy bear shop near me hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals retailer excessive levels of vitamin A as a way to swiftly grow and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly atmosphere. In the wild, polar bears feed nearly exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which retailer high ranges of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays a key function in development and natal growth. So if the blue plate particular at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might simply wish to stick to a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them by way of their susceptible pup stages. Discover the hyperlinks on the following page to learn extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver typically accommodates as much vitamin A as 79 to 115 hen eggs. That award-profitable meal comes in at almost twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming must do with the decline in the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Division 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 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 Consuming. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Research Heart. 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, Okay. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
