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

While this polar bear may simply make a meal out of you, one chunk of his liver could possibly be enough to ship you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favourite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you'll be able to order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes might sound to you, not every bird, fish or mammal necessarily presents the very best ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you may 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 lengthy recognized to avoid eating the livers of varied arctic creatures. In actual fact, in very very big teddy bear case you ever have the chance to attempt polar bear liver, assume twice -- it will be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, realized the hard means. Perhaps probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a patient's toes might peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst instances ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and demise. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation ensuing from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief period of time. Whereas milder instances merely concerned flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like those of arctic seals and huskies, contains extraordinarily high ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry around a lot vitamin A in their livers and the way essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fats. Instead, it collects in the physique's filtration organ, the liver, the place it may well attain toxic ranges. Vitamin A is a vital building block for a lot of animals. This means that, in contrast to different vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the physique in urine. Humans only require it in very small quantities, but it performs a vital role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal improvement, 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 could simply end up going through signs simply as dangerous as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, growth retardation and even dying. We usually absorb it by way of the consumption of foods comparable to spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and varied meats. In actual fact, their physiology advanced to tolerate so much vitamin A for just one purpose: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears profit from conserving a certain quantity of vitamin A in their system, but there's nothing to indicate they actually require such giant portions. In case you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd suffer from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals store excessive ranges of vitamin A with the intention to swiftly grow and nourish their younger in a harsh, chilly surroundings. In the wild, polar bears feed nearly solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which store high ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A plays a key role in development and natal growth. So if the blue plate special at your favorite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly simply want to stick to a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them by means of their vulnerable pup stages. Explore the links on the following page to be taught more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver usually accommodates as much vitamin A as 79 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 in the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Department of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation 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 regarding vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Competitive Eating. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Research 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 Analysis Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.