While this polar bear might easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver may very well be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favorite in elements 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 a few of these dishes may sound to you, not every chook, fish or mammal essentially provides the best components for a culinary masterpiece. Travel 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 long identified to avoid eating the livers of varied arctic creatures. Actually, if you happen to ever have the chance to strive polar bear liver, think twice -- it often is the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, realized the hard method. Maybe essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a patient's toes could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst instances ended in liver damage, 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 cases merely involved flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-physique skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to these of arctic seals and huskies, contains extraordinarily high ranges of retinol (the form of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the next web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry around so much vitamin A of their livers and the way crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fats. Instead, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may possibly attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a crucial constructing block for many animals. Which means, not like different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the body in urine. People solely require it in very small quantities, nevertheless it performs a significant function in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies depending on age, gender and bodily situation. Without sufficient vitamin A in your system, you can simply end up going through symptoms just as unhealthy as those related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, development retardation and even demise. We sometimes absorb it by means of the consumption of foods akin to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. Actually, their physiology developed to tolerate so much vitamin A for only one reason: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from preserving a specific amount of vitamin A of their system, but there's nothing to indicate they really require such large quantities. In case you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd suffer from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals store excessive ranges of vitamin A with a purpose to swiftly grow and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly environment. In the wild, polar bears feed virtually solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store excessive ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs teddy bear big teddy bear a key function in progress and natal development. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might just wish to persist with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to shortly advance them by way of their susceptible pup phases. Discover the links on the following web page to be taught more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually comprises as a lot vitamin A as 79 to one hundred fifteen chicken eggs. That award-successful meal is available in at practically twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does international warming must do with the decline within the polar bear inhabitants? 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 Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis 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 Research 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 Analysis Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
