While this polar bear might simply make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver may very well be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favourite in components 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 could sound to you, not each bird, fish or mammal necessarily affords the best substances for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you'll feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never 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. In reality, if you happen to ever have the chance to strive polar bear liver, suppose twice -- it may be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, however, realized the laborious manner. Perhaps the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a affected person's feet could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst cases ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and dying. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief period of time. While milder instances merely involved flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like these of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extremely excessive ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the big teddy bear online following page, we'll discover why polar bears carry around 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 a substitute, it collects in the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a crucial constructing block for many animals. Because of this, in contrast to different vitamins, excess vitamin A does not exit the body in urine. Humans solely require it in very small amounts, but it plays a vital role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal improvement, growth, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies relying on age, gender and physical situation. With out sufficient vitamin A in your system, you possibly can easily find yourself facing symptoms simply as unhealthy as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even death. We sometimes absorb it through the consumption of foods such as spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. In reality, their physiology advanced to tolerate so much vitamin A for just one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from maintaining a certain quantity of vitamin A in their system, but there's nothing to point they really require such massive portions. If you happen to ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd suffer from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals store high levels of vitamin A as a way to swiftly develop and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly environment. In the wild, polar bears feed virtually exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store high ranges 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 particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly simply need to stick with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them via their susceptible pup phases. Explore the links on the next web page to study extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver typically accommodates as much vitamin A as seventy nine to one hundred fifteen hen eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at nearly twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming need to do with the decline within the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University 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 Schooling. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for relating to 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 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 Analysis Council. Rodahl, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
