Whereas this polar bear might easily make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver might be sufficient to ship you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favourite in parts 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 bird, fish or mammal necessarily presents the most effective 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 recognized to avoid consuming the livers of various arctic creatures. In truth, if you ever have the prospect to try polar bear liver, think twice -- it could be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, discovered the arduous means. Perhaps 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 exposed. The worst cases ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. 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 involved flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like these of arctic seals and huskies, incorporates extraordinarily excessive ranges of retinol (the form of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the next page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry around so much vitamin A of their livers and the way essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas 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 will probably attain toxic ranges. Vitamin A is an important constructing block for a lot of animals. Which means that, unlike other vitamins, excess vitamin A does not exit the physique in urine. Humans only require it in very small quantities, but it plays a significant position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies depending on age, gender and physical condition. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you can simply find yourself dealing with signs just as unhealthy as those associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even death. We sometimes absorb it by the consumption of foods similar to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In actual fact, their physiology advanced to tolerate so much vitamin A for only one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from maintaining a certain amount of vitamin A of their system, however there's nothing to indicate they actually require such massive quantities. In case you 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 excessive ranges of vitamin A with a view to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly environment. Within the wild, polar bears feed almost exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which retailer excessive levels of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key role in progress and natal growth. So if the blue plate special at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you may simply want to stick with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to rapidly advance them through their vulnerable pup levels. Discover the links on the following page to learn more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually comprises as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to 115 rooster eggs. That award-profitable 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 red panda teddy bear population? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University Division of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Association 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 College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for relating to vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Competitive 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.
