Ever notice how
mosquitoes seem to frantically feast on some folks while ignoring others? It's not just your imagination, says entomologist Joseph M. Conlon, a technical advisor to the
American Mosquito Control Association. "There is no question that some
individuals are more attractive to mosquitoes due to chemicals they
secrete from their skin and from their particular skin flora." We talked
with experts to learn more about the biological factors that can turn a
person into skeeter bait. If the little buggers happen to find you irresistible, here are five possible reasons why:
You're pregnant
Female mosquitoes (the kind that bite) have a thing for carbon
dioxide. Special nerve receptors help them detect the gas in the
environment. What does that have to do with your baby bump? A 2002 study
published in
The Lancet found that women in the later stages of
pregnancy
(with a mean gestational age of 28 weeks) exhale 21% more CO2 than
their non-pregnant peers. The researchers speculated that
this physiological difference could help explain why the pregnant women
who participated in their experiments
attracted twice as many mosquitoes. (Because itchy welts are just what you need in your third trimester.) But
CO2 may not be the only reason you're suddenly more appealing: It could
also be that pregnant women emit volatile odors that draw the insects, says Laura Harrington, PhD, a professor in the department of entomology at Cornell University.
You're dripping with sweat
If bug bites drive you nuts, you may want to take your
workouts indoors this summer. Lactic acid, a byproduct of vigorous
physical activity that's excreted through
sweat,
is "indeed an attractant" for mosquitoes, according to Conlon. If
you're sweating profusely, your higher body temperature may play a role
too. Warmth becomes more attractive as mosquitoes approach a potential
host, says Conlon.
You have type O blood
Just like you have favorite
fro-yo flavors,
mosquitoes possess so-called landing preferences, and one of them has
to do with what’s running through your veins. A study in the
Journal of Medical Entomology found that the bloodthirsty fiends are extra attracted to individuals with
type O blood. "Type O individuals may share a propensity for exuding certain odors that mosquitoes find attractive," suggests Conlon.
You just had a beer
Not to rain on your al fresco happy hour, but booze may lead to more bites. A
PLOS ONE study done in West Africa on men who drank either beer or water revealed that "beer consumption consistently increased volunteers'
attractiveness to mosquitoes." Harrington pointed to another study—a small experiment done in Japan—that suggested mosquitoes are drawn to people who have
ingested alcohol. "But how widespread that phenomenon is truly remains unclear,” she said.
Your genes make you more attractive
Research on identical and fraternal twins suggests that an
underlying genetic mechanism may affect whether you get eaten alive in
the deep woods, or escape relatively unscathed. Scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine reported that certain people produce natural
mosquito repellents, a trait that appears to be
genetically controlled.
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