What’s the best way to keep mosquitoes from biting you? The answer, according to a Wall Street Journal interview with Stephen Gluckman, professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and a specialist in infectious diseases, is the same as it has been for years: DEET. Gluckman’s answer comes from the most comprehensive comparative study that he has seen, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002. That study tested 16 products on the arms of volunteers, which were extended into a cage filled with mosquitoes. The Journal reports that DEET kept the the bugs away for 301 minutes, while citronella oil protected volunteers for 20 minutes. What about garlic? Nope, says Gluckman. No study has shown that to be more effective than a placebo.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Saturday, April 19, 2025
People are more likely to be bitten if they have a B deficiency. Studies show that taking plenty of B1, in particular, can keep mosquitoes away. Apparently, when you take a little more vitamin B than your body needs, it can cause the excess to be sweated out through your skin. Female mosquitoes find this odor repulsive. Eat foods rich in vitamin B1, such as beef, liver, nuts, oats, oranges, pork, eggs, seeds, legumes and peas or take a vitamin B1 supplement .ÂÂ