Whereas this polar bear could simply make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver might be sufficient to ship you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favourite in elements of the American South. In Japan, you may order a heaping helping of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes may sound to you, not every fowl, fish or mammal necessarily affords one of the best ingredients 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, but they've lengthy known to keep away from eating the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In fact, for those who ever have the prospect to attempt polar bear liver, assume twice -- it could be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, however, learned the laborious way. Perhaps the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling 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 instances ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and death. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief time period. While milder instances merely concerned flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, much like those of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extraordinarily excessive ranges of retinol (the form of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the next web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry round a lot vitamin A of their livers and the way essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fat. As an alternative, it collects in the physique's filtration organ, the liver, where it can attain toxic ranges. Vitamin A is a vital constructing block for many animals. Which means, not like other vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the body in urine. Humans only require it in very small quantities, but it surely plays an important position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, growth, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies relying on age, gender and bodily condition. giant koala teddy With out enough vitamin A in your system, you possibly can easily end up going through signs simply as bad as those associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even demise. We usually absorb it by means of the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. In fact, their physiology advanced to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one reason: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from retaining a certain amount of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to point they really require such large portions. If you happen to 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 as a way to swiftly grow and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly environment. In the wild, polar bears feed almost solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store high ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key position in development and natal development. So if the blue plate special at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you may simply need to persist with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to rapidly advance them by way of their vulnerable pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the subsequent page to be taught more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually incorporates as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to a hundred and fifteen rooster eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at practically twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does international warming have to do with the decline within the polar bear population? 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 Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Schooling. 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 anti-carcinogenic agents." 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 College of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Analysis Council. Rodahl, Okay. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
