Whereas this polar bear may 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 lengthy been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried hen livers are a favourite in components of the American South. In Japan, you can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes might sound to you, not each chook, fish or mammal essentially affords the most effective substances for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you may feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, however they've lengthy recognized to avoid eating the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In fact, when you ever have the possibility to try polar bear liver, think twice -- it could be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, discovered the arduous approach. 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 toes might peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst cases ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and demise. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short time period. Whereas milder cases merely concerned flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-body pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like those of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extraordinarily high levels of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry around a lot vitamin A of their livers and how essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fats. As an alternative, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, where it may possibly attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a vital building block for many animals. This means that, not like different vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the body in urine. Humans solely require it in very small amounts, but it plays a significant role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies depending on age, gender and physical condition. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you might easily end up dealing 6fdecorwm2.hpage.com/post3.html with symptoms simply as unhealthy as those associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even dying. We sometimes absorb it by way of the consumption of foods corresponding to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. Actually, their physiology developed to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one cause: 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 really require such giant portions. If you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals retailer high levels of vitamin A to be able to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly setting. In the wild, polar bears feed almost exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which retailer excessive ranges of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays a key role in growth and natal growth. So if the blue plate particular at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might just want to persist with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to rapidly advance them by way of their susceptible pup phases. Explore the links on the subsequent page to learn more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually comprises as a lot vitamin A as 79 to 115 rooster eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at almost twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does world warming must do with the decline in the polar bear population? 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 Tips. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Dangerous(?) 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. Worldwide 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 University of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Analysis Council. Rodahl, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.
