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

While this polar bear could easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver might be sufficient to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in lots of diets. Deep-fried hen livers are a favorite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you possibly can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes may sound to you, not each chook, fish or mammal essentially affords the perfect substances for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you'll feast on conventional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've lengthy recognized to avoid eating the livers of assorted arctic creatures. In truth, if you ever have the prospect to attempt polar bear liver, suppose twice -- it will be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, learned the laborious method. Maybe essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a affected person's toes could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst cases ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and death. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief period of time. While milder circumstances merely involved flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-physique skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to those of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extraordinarily high levels of retinol (the form of vitamin A present in members of the we bare bears soft toy animal kingdom). On the next page, we'll uncover why polar bears carry round so much vitamin A in their livers and the way crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fat. Instead, it collects within the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it could actually attain toxic ranges. Vitamin A is a vital constructing block for many animals. Which means that, unlike other vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the body in urine. Humans only require it in very small amounts, nevertheless it performs an important position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies relying on age, gender and physical situation. With out sufficient vitamin A in your system, you could easily end up going through signs just as bad as those associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even demise. We typically absorb it by the consumption of foods reminiscent of spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. In truth, their physiology evolved to tolerate so much vitamin A for just one reason: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from keeping a certain amount of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to point they actually require such giant quantities. For those who ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals retailer excessive levels of vitamin A with the intention to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly surroundings. Within the wild, polar bears feed nearly solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store excessive levels of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays a key function in development and natal improvement. So if the blue plate special at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you may simply need to persist with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to rapidly advance them by their weak pup stages. Discover the links on the next web page to study more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver typically incorporates as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to one hundred fifteen chicken eggs. That award-winning meal comes in at nearly twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming must do with the decline in the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Division of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Dangerous(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. 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 Competitive Eating. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Analysis 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 University of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Research Council. Rodahl, Okay. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.