Vitamin B1, also known as thiamin or thiamine, helps your body in a number of ways, but repelling mosquitoes is not one of them. Although it does not repel mosquitoes, the vitamin is essential for the proper functioning of many body systems. Not getting enough of the vital nutrient can result in complications of the brain, nervous system, heart, muscles and gastrointestinal tract.
Vitamin Mosquito Study
University of Wisconsin Department of Zoology researchers Anthony Ives and Susan Paskewitz dispelled the theory that vitamin B1, or any form of vitamin B, repels mosquitoes with their study published in the June 2005 issue of the "Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association." Study participants ingested an undisclosed amount of vitamin B supplements and the authors transferred components of the participants' skin to glass vials to see if mosquitoes were attracted to or repelled by the skin. The authors found vitamin B supplementation had no affect on the mosquitoes' reaction to the skin.
Garlic Mosquito Study
Vitamin B is not the only so-called natural mosquito repellent that fell flat in studies. A study published in the March 2005 issue of "Medical and Veterinary Entomology" proved garlic does not work as a mosquito repellent, either. Subjects ingested garlic or a placebo and then exposed skin areas to mosquitoes, with the repellent effect rated based on the number of bites each subject received. Subjects returned for a second trial, ingesting the garlic if their first session included a placebo or a placebo if their first session included garlic, and again exposed their skin to mosquitoes. The garlic did not decrease the number of mosquito bites.
Other Mosquito Myths
Mosquitoes are not necessarily attracted to perfumes or scented body lotions, according to the University of Wisconsin website, and no evidence backs up that theory. Bats eat mosquitoes, but adding more bats to a population has not resulted in a reduced number of mosquitoes that continue to attack humans. The home remedy of vanilla extract does not work to repel mosquitoes, although adding the bean's extract, vanillin, to chemical repellants might increase their effectiveness. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothing, not light clothing.
B1 Basics
Despite its ineffectiveness as a mosquito repellent, vitamin B1 is an essential nutrient in several other ways. It assists with the function of your muscles and nervous system, metabolizing carbohydrates, producing hydrochloric acid needed for digestion and various enzyme processes. The body only stores vitamin B1 for about 14 days, so a constant supply is necessary to keep the body functioning properly, the Mayo Clinic website notes. Natural sources of vitamin B1 include beans, lentils, nuts, oats, seeds, wheat, milk, beef, pork, oranges, whole grain rice and whole grain cereals. the recommended daily dose of vitamin B1 is 1.2 mg per day for men and 1.1 mg per day for women.
References
- University of Wisconsin Department of Entomology: Integrated Mosquito Management
- "Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association"; Testing Vitamin B as a Home Remedy against Mosquitoes; Anthony R. Ives and Susan M. Paskewitz; June 2005
- "Medical and Veterinary Entomology"; A Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Garlic as a Mosquito Repellant: A Preliminary Study; T.V. Rajan et. al.; March 2005
- MayoClinic.com; Thiamin (Thiamine), Vitamin B1; July 2011
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