Will I Die If I Eat Polar Bear Liver? Large Panda Teddy

Whereas this polar bear may simply make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver could be sufficient to ship you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many 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 raw fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes might sound to you, not every hen, fish or mammal necessarily gives the most effective components for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you can feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, however they've long known to keep away from consuming the livers of various arctic creatures. In fact, if you happen to ever have the prospect to try polar bear liver, suppose twice -- it would be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, realized the laborious method. Maybe probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a affected person's ft could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and weighted teddy exposed. The worst instances ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and death. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief time frame. While milder circumstances merely involved flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, much like these of arctic seals and huskies, contains extremely excessive ranges of retinol (the form of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent 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 fat. As an alternative, it collects in the physique's filtration organ, the liver, where it could attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a crucial constructing block for many animals. Which means, unlike different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the physique in urine. Humans solely require it in very small quantities, but it plays an important position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, development, 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 may simply find yourself going through signs simply as bad as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even demise. We typically absorb it through the consumption of foods corresponding to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. The truth is, their physiology advanced to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one cause: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from retaining a certain quantity of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to point they really require such massive portions. Should you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals retailer excessive ranges of vitamin A with a purpose to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly surroundings. Within the wild, polar bears feed nearly completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store high levels of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key role in progress and natal improvement. So if the blue plate particular at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you might just need to persist with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to rapidly advance them through their vulnerable pup phases. Discover the hyperlinks on the subsequent page to be taught extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually accommodates as much 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 global warming must do with the decline within the polar bear population? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell University Department of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Tips. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Schooling. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for regarding vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Aggressive 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 College of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Analysis Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.