Will I Die If I Eat Polar Bear Liver? We Bare Bears Soft Toy

While this polar bear may simply make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver could possibly be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried hen livers are a favorite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes could sound to you, not every chook, fish or mammal necessarily gives the very best components for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you can feast on conventional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have by no means shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, however they've long identified to keep away from eating the livers of various arctic creatures. The truth is, should you ever have the chance to strive polar bear liver, assume twice -- it will be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, realized the onerous means. Perhaps essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a patient's ft may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst circumstances ended in liver damage, hemorrhage, coma and dying. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a short period of time. While milder cases merely concerned flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported circumstances of full-physique pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to these of arctic seals and huskies, comprises extremely 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 round a lot vitamin A in their livers and how essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fats. As an alternative, it collects in the body's filtration organ, the liver, where it will probably attain toxic ranges. Vitamin A is a vital building block for many animals. Which means that, not like other vitamins, excess vitamin A does not exit the body in urine. People solely require it in very small amounts, but it surely plays a significant position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, progress, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies depending on age, gender and physical situation. With out enough vitamin A in your system, you possibly can simply find yourself dealing with symptoms simply as dangerous as those related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even demise. We sometimes absorb it via the consumption of foods equivalent to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In fact, their physiology evolved to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one reason: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from holding a certain amount of vitamin A in their system, however there's nothing to point they actually require such giant portions. If you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals store high ranges of vitamin A to be able to swiftly develop and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly setting. Within the wild, polar bears feed almost exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store excessive ranges 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 special at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly simply need to stick to a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them through their vulnerable pup levels. Explore the links on the following page to study more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver typically accommodates as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to a hundred and fifteen hen eggs. That award-profitable meal comes in at almost twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming need to do with the decline within the polar bear inhabitants? 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 Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. weighted teddy "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. 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 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, Ok. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.