The food you eat could be the reason you attract mosquitoes and why their bites itch

You may know that wearing black could attract mosquitoes to you, but now studies have shown that your individual odour from your breath and skin also draw the blood suckers to you. To take this further, some researchers have sought to find out what foods influence the odours you exhale and the composition of your skin microbiome making you attractive to mosquitoes.

Bloody attraction

The pesky blood suckers are drawn to certain compounds that are present on human skin and in sweat, according to Healthline. These compounds give off a specific odour that can draw mosquitoes in. Several different compounds have been identified as being attractive to mosquitoes. Some that you may be familiar with include lactic acid and ammonia. Others can be found in some foods and drinks you consume such as alcohol. The health website, EatThis said:

Researchers theorize that beer (and likely all alcohol) increases attractiveness by elevating body temperature and altering the VOCs in the body after drinking alcohol.

The human body produces more than 350 different volatile organic compounds. Mosquitoes tend to be attracted to some VOCs and not others, the article goes on to say.

Coffee

A recent study cited in Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-borne Diseases reported that caffeine is a substance that can be identified on the skin, and it appears to increase attractiveness to mosquitoes. The authors of the study found that other highly aromatic beverages would likely cause an increase in attractiveness as well.

Caffeine increases metabolism and therefore temperature, and it is well established that mosquitos are more attracted to warmer bodies.

The bottom line is, just as you know to not wear black during mosquito season especially at night, you might want to reduce the amount of coffee or strong aromatic beverages you drink before you go outside to limit your attractiveness to the insects.

Read more:

⋙ West Nile virus: What is the mosquito-borne disease and should we be worried?

⋙ Mosquito bite: Do not wear these 3 colours if you want to be spared this summer

⋙ West Nile virus: Mosquito season has lead to the rise of this serious disease