You might be one of those who often complain that mosquitoes bite them more than others.
We often let it pass, thinking that unlike humans, mosquitoes are not a biased bunch. But science has an alternative answer.
You can actually be loved by mosquitoes or repel them, depending on certain bodily factors.
“There’s a lot of research being conducted on what compounds and odors people exude that can attract mosquitoes,” said Joe Conlon, PhD, technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association.
And the number of these compounds is as high as 400. The research has just begun, but we do have certain decisive answers to this wringer.
Here are a few factors that may be making you a mosquito magnet. And mind you, mosquitoes can smell them from as far as 50 meters.
1. What’s your blood type?
Are you an A blood type or an O blood type? Felicitations to the former group as mosquitoes are attracted to people with O blood type twice more than A blood type, shows research. While for the B blood type, it was more than A type and less than O type. Besides the blood group, 85 per cent of people send across a signal about their blood type. Irrespective of their blood group, mosquitoes are more attracted to them. (Image Courtesy: Pixabay)
2. Are you emitting more carbon dioxide?
Mosquitoes are attracted to all types of carbon dioxide. Because bigger people give off more carbon dioxide, mosquitoes bite them more than they bite children. For a similar reason, pregnant women are more susceptible to mosquito bites as they produce more carbon dioxide when they are pregnant than they do otherwise.
3. You love athletics? Mosquitoes love you
Mosquitoes are known to love heat, body movement and the smell of sweat. They can smell lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia and other such compounds that are contained in your sweat. This attracts them to you and with them, their bites.
4. What’s your skin like?
Does your skin contain more amounts of steroids or cholesterol? This will attract more mosquitoes toward your skin. However, more cholesterol on the skin does not mean more cholesterol in the body. When your body is more efficient in processing cholesterol, it leaves by-products on the skin’s surface. And you attract more mosquitoes.
5. Is beer your beloved?
If mosquitoes are attracted more to you when your blood has beer is still under scrutiny. But a certain study had pointed out that due to the smell of ethanol in sweat after consuming beer could be triggering mosquitoes to attack you. Till a more decisive verdict comes out, be your own judge.
