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

Whereas this polar bear might simply make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver could possibly be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favorite in components of the American South. In Japan, you'll be able to order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes may sound to you, not each chicken, fish or mammal necessarily presents the perfect elements for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you'll feast on conventional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've long identified to keep away from eating the livers of various arctic creatures. In actual fact, if you happen to ever have the prospect to attempt polar bear liver, assume twice -- it may be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, learned the arduous method. Perhaps essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a patient's toes may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst instances ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers bts with teddy bear suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a short time frame. While milder instances merely concerned flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-body pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like these of arctic seals and huskies, contains extremely excessive ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the following 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. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A only dissolves in fat. As a substitute, it collects within the body's filtration organ, the liver, where it could possibly attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is a vital building block for many animals. This means that, not like different vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the physique in urine. Humans solely require it in very small amounts, however it performs a significant role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal improvement, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies relying on age, gender and bodily situation. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you might simply end up going through signs simply as bad as those related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even demise. We sometimes absorb it by means of the consumption of foods reminiscent of spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. In fact, their physiology advanced to tolerate so much vitamin A for only one motive: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from keeping a certain amount of vitamin A in their system, but there's nothing to indicate they really require such giant portions. For those who ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals retailer high ranges of vitamin A as a way to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly environment. In the wild, polar bears feed virtually completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which retailer high ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key position in development and natal growth. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just wish to keep on with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them by means of their vulnerable pup phases. Explore the hyperlinks on the next page to study more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes incorporates as much vitamin A as 79 to 115 chicken eggs. That award-successful meal is available in at practically twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming have to do with the decline within 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 Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Dangerous(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Schooling. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. 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 Aggressive Eating. 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, Okay. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.