With spring arriving all over the Northern hemisphere, people are starting to spend more time outside in the sun. That means lazy weekend afternoons in the park or at the pool, or just sipping cold drinks in your own backyard. But it also means insects, especially the kind that bite.
Most of us get a little nervous nowadays, hearing the buzz of a mosquito nearby. There are all too many diseases spread by the nasty little blighters, from malaria to West Nile virus and, most recently, Zika. The best way to avoid getting sick is to avoid getting bitten, of course. That usually requires applying some fierce mosquito repellant, but the following tips could lower your chances of attracting the bugs in the first place.
Especially if you’re hesitating to spray DEET all over your body due to its potential bad side effects, try this alternative: take more vitamin B1.
Vitamin B1, otherwise known as thiamine, is a natural insect repellant. No one knows yet exactly how it functions. Scientists have just established that thiamine changes the smell of your sweat, and insects definitely respond to various body odors differently.
Mosquitos can apparently sniff you out from 30 yards away but if you’re taking vitamin B1, they’ll turn around and go in the opposite direction.
The recommended dosage of thiamine is 25 to 50 mg, three times per day. You can get pills or simply be sure to eat vitamin B1-rich foods such as beans, cabbage, sunflower seeds, cauliflower, and broccoli.
If you want to get through the summer this year bite-free, try taking vitamin B1: it’s good for you anyway, so you have nothing to lose!
