Whereas this polar bear could simply make a meal out of you, one chunk 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 hen livers are a favourite in components 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 some of these dishes could sound to you, not each fowl, fish or mammal necessarily presents the perfect ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Journey 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, but they've lengthy identified to keep away from consuming the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In truth, when you ever have the prospect to attempt polar bear liver, think twice -- it will be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, however, realized the hard way. Perhaps essentially 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 damage, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short period of time. While milder instances merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-physique skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to these of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extraordinarily high levels of retinol (the form of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry around a lot vitamin A of their livers and how essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fats. As a substitute, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is an important building block for many animals. Which means that, unlike other vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the body in urine. People only require it in very small quantities, but it surely plays a vital role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal improvement, growth, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies depending on age, gender and bodily condition. Without sufficient vitamin A in your system, you can easily end up facing symptoms just as unhealthy as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even dying. We usually absorb it via the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. Actually, their physiology advanced to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from keeping a certain quantity of vitamin A in very very big teddy bear their system, however there's nothing to point they really require such large quantities. When you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals retailer high ranges of vitamin A with a purpose to swiftly develop and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly environment. Within the wild, polar bears feed virtually solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store excessive levels of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key function in development 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 persist with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to shortly advance them by their weak pup stages. Explore the hyperlinks on the next page to learn more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver typically comprises as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to 115 chicken eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at almost twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming need to do with the decline within the polar bear population? 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 Training. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for relating to vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Aggressive 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.
