If
you feel as if every mosquito in a 50-mile radius has you locked in its sights,
while your friends are rarely bitten, you could be right. Up to 20 percent of
us are highly alluring to mosquitoes—and scientists have discovered some
surprising reasons.
“Both
your metabolism and your unique body chemistry—which is as distinctive as a
fingerprint—play an important role in determining whether or not you’re a
mosquito magnet,” says University of Florida entomology professor Dr. Phil
Koehler. “Also, there’s evidence that your degree of attractiveness to
mosquitoes can change over time.”
Here
are some intriguing discoveries about why some of us are particularly tasty
targets for the tiny vampires:
Mosquitos prefer blood type O
In
their quest for a meal, mosquitoes are nearly twice as likely to land on people
with type 0 blood than those with type A, according to a Japanese study.
Indeed, the biting pests consider type 0 more delectable than any other
blood type, the researchers reported. Most people secrete substances that allow
mosquitoes to identify blood type before they bite.
Beer drinkers beware
Swigging
just one bottle of beer can significantly boost your risk of being bitten,
according to a study published in Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association.
The researchers reported that, “Mosquito landing on volunteers
significantly increased after beer ingestion compared with before ingestion.”
Watch out for the full moon
The
tiny bloodsuckers are 500 times more active when the moon is full, reports the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA). Overall,
the highest risk times for mosquito bites are dusk and dawn, with the females
of some species migrating up to 40 miles in pursuit of a meal. (Male mosquitoes
don’t bite.)
Keep your socks on
The
pungent aroma of dirty feet is apparently irresistible to mosquitoes, as a
brave scientist, Bart Knols, discovered when he sat in a lab in
his underwear to find out which parts of the body the pests are most likely to
target. He found that 75 percent of the bugs homed in on his feet, but after he
washed them with deodorant soap, the mosquitos bit randomly. His team also
reported that stinky cheeses, such as Limburger—which has the same odoriferous
compound responsible for foot odor—also draws mosquitoes.
Mosquitos know if you’re expecting
Moms-to-be
get bitten about twice as often as women who aren’t pregnant, increasing their
risk for bug-borne diseases, according to a study conducted in Gambia. The
researchers hypothesized that since women in the later stages of pregnancy
exhale 21 percent more volume, mosquitos were drawn in by the moisture and
carbon dioxide in their breath. They also found that pregnant women's abdomens
are nearly 1 degree warmer, which may cause more volatile substances—released
in sweat and attractive to mosquitos—to be present on their skin. Not only do
several other studies have similar findings, says Dr. Koehler, but “there’s
also evidence that women are more attractive to mosquitoes during certain
phases of the ovulation cycle.” Studies have mixed results as to whether men or
women are more likely to get bitten, he adds.
Running won’t help you
Both
the carbon dioxide we exhale and substances in sweat, such as lactic acid, help
mosquitoes home in on their prey. As a result, Dr. Koehler reports. “You’re
more likely to be bitten if you’re running or exercising than when you’re at
rest, since you’re breathing harder and sweating more.” In fact, physical
activity ups risk for bites by as much as 50 percent, according to AMCA.
Like vampires, they prefer dark clothes
Dark-colored
clothing can increase your risk of falling victim to the little bloodsuckers,
compared to lighter-colored garments, says Dr. Koehler. In one study comparing
the appeal of various hues to mosquitoes, the researchers reported the following results:
black (most attractive); red (very attractive); grey and blue (neutral); khaki,
green, light khaki, and yellow (less attractive).
I had
rather take note of this than stock piling every brand of anti-malaria drugs.
Stay alive and healthy. WINK!!!
Source:
Yahoo Health
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