This page either does not exist or is currently unavailable.You can also search for something on our site below.Through their transmission of diseases like malaria, yellow fever and West Nile virus, mosquitoes have been responsible for more deaths than any other animal in history. While many mosquito-transmitted diseases are considered historical, or diseases only relevant outside the United States, West Nile virus cases have been seen in nearly every U.S. state. Even uninfected mosquitoes are reviled as they irritate people with their itchy bites. So it's understandable when people reach for easy ways to repel these blood-sucking insects. Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is one such easy solution. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that it works. The authors of a June 2005 review article published in the "Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association" reported that of the scientific studies performed testing B vitamins as repellents, none found them to have significant repellent ability against mosquitoes.
In addition, the American Mosquito Control Association asserts that systemic vitamin repellents, in general, do not work. Vitamin B1 delivered as a skin patch has also been tested and did not repel mosquitoes, according an February 2013 study report published in "Acta Tropica." While vitamin B1 is not effective as a mosquito repellent, there are plenty of alternatives. Many natural, plant-based repellents -- such as lemon eucalyptus leaf extracts and citronella -- are quite effective at repelling mosquitoes, report the authors of a March 2011 "Malaria Journal" review article. While some people prefer natural repellents, several safe and effective synthetic repellents are available, including those containing DEET or icaridin. Can You Treat Mosquito Bites With Brewer's Yeast? Can Vitamins Prevent Mosquito Bites? Vitamin B12 for Mosquitoes Is There a Food That You Can Eat to Repel Mosquitoes? I Tried a Sensory Deprivation Tank & This Is What Happened Home Remedy to Stop Itching From Bug Bites
Essential Oils That Repel Insects The 5-Minute Morning Routine to Feel Better All Day What Does Thiamine Do for the Body? How Much Is Too Much Vitamin B Complex? The Personality Secret to Successful Weight Loss Red, Blotchy, Itchy Skin on Ankles Vitamin B1 Overdose Symptoms How to Look Younger for a Man 10 Surprising Flat-Belly Foods 10-Minute Workout for a Better Booty Excretion of Water-Soluble Vitamins Foods Rich in Vitamins B & C Vitamin B12 and Malaria What Is Meaning of Fat Soluble Vitamins?THE FACTSMosquitoes are more attracted to some people than to others; that much is known from several studies.But the Internet is full of advertisements for pills and supplements that are supposed to keep the pests away from walking mosquito magnets. One pervasive claim is that taking vitamin B, or wearing patches and other products that are infused with it, can do the trick. Studies dating to the 1960s suggest that taking small doses of the supplement three times a day during biting season helps to produce a skin odor that mosquitoes find repulsive.
But more recent studies have shown that assertion to be a myth. In a study published in 2005 in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, scientists had a group of subjects take vitamin B supplements every day for eight weeks, while a second group took vitamin C and a third took no supplements. Once every two weeks, the scientists used swarms of mosquitoes to examine whether the supplements were having any effect. Although each subject’s attractiveness to the mosquitoes varied considerably, over all there was no evidence that vitamin B did anything to help.Another study by scientists in Brazil tested it by administering vitamin B droplets to animals and exposing them to female mosquitoes (the only ones that bite). They found no difference in attractiveness between the vitamin B group and control groups.THE BOTTOM LINEStudies suggest that vitamin B is not an effective mosquito repellent.Mosquitoes can put a real damper on enjoying the outdoors. When we were on our honeymoon, many years ago, we were camping in Grand Teton National Park.
Even before we opened the car doors to set up our tent and camp stove, there were enormous mosquitoes hovering in large numbers to get a bite of our blood. There seem to be significant differences among individuals with respect to how attractive mosquitoes find them. Some people start slapping biting mosquitoes the second they step outside, while others are rarely troubled at all. suggests several factors that may help explain this curious phenomenon. It turns out that blood type matters, and so does body temperature and the amount of carbon dioxide a person exhales. The microbial ecology of the skin may also have an effect on mosquitoes and their likelihood of taking a taste. Be wary at the backyard cookout: people drinking beer appear to be especially appealing to mosquitoes. Q. I am a gardener and have always been a mosquito magnet. I read about vitamin B1 and have been taking it for several days. I just went outside this evening and didn’t get one bite! Usually they are all over me.
I will continue to take B1 until cold weather. A. There is almost no scientific research to support vitamin B1 (thiamine) against mosquitoes. That said, some readers report similar success. It may well be that thiamine works in conjunction with some of the other individual factors to make certain individuals less appealing. We heard before from an individual who had good luck like you do: Q. I have found vitamin B1 to be an effective deterrent for mosquito bites. I was recently in an area where I got multiple mosquito bites daily that itched unbearably. I developed open sores from scratching in my sleep, even when I used Benadryl or hydrocortisone cream. In less than a week of taking vitamin B1 (500 mg per day), I have not had any more bites. I know there are studies that say vitamin B1 has no value for deterring insect bites, but my experience convinces me otherwise. A. Thank you for sharing your testimonial. Some other readers have also found taking vitamin B1 (thiamine) helpful against mosquitoes.
The research we have found, however, indicates that this vitamin is not effective as a systemic mosquito repellent (Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, June, 2005). We could find no more recent research on the effects of thiamine against mosquito bites. Another reader used B vitamins as a repellent in quite a different way: Q. I was hiking high in the Canadian Rockies and the black flies were voracious. I didn’t have insect repellent with me because mosquitoes, fleas and other critters never bite me. I think that’s because I take B-complex and garlic, among other supplements, and they don’t like that. Increasingly vexed by the black flies, I finally appropriated a B-complex 100 mg tablet I had with me. I smushed it up with some creek water, and then rubbed the bright yellow liquid all over myself. I admit, though, that I did look a bit jaundiced. What do you think about the efficacy of B-complex or other supplements in repelling bugs? A. We love your story, but we’ve never heard of anyone else using vitamin B pills topically.
With no studies, we wouldn’t dare venture a guess about effectiveness. There was some preliminary research on thiamine, a B vitamin, taken orally to repel mosquitoes. Since it was conducted many decades ago, however, it would not meet today’s scientific standards and newer research has not confirmed the benefit. Nevertheless, some readers swear that this nutrient keeps mosquitoes from biting them. Individual body chemistry seems to have an important effect on whether and how well this remedy works. Most people need to apply a proven mosquito repellent such as DEET, picaridin or lemon eucalyptus oil. That is particularly true in places where mosquitoes may be transmitting malaria, Zika virus or West Nile virus. Although DEET sets the standard for repellents and has for decades, there are concerns about toxicity, especially if it is being used for extended periods or at high concentrations. We have written here about mosquito repellents. It turns out that different species are more sensitive to one repellent than another (Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Nov-Dec., 2013).