Vitamin B-Complex

selhard
on 5/17/16 1:22 pm - MN
RNY on 11/26/12

There's a theory ingesting a Vitamin-B Complex before going outdoors keeps insects at bay.  Taking a whiff inside a smelly B-Complex bottle makes it believable. Has anyone tried this, think it works, or plans to try it?  Also, does anyone lower their Vitamin D supplement intake during the summer months since we get Vitamin D from increased sun exposure?  TIA

CerealKiller Kat71
on 5/17/16 2:36 pm
RNY on 12/31/13

I am very high in my B-vitamin levels -- and I have always been a mosquito magnet.  I take a B-complex and my B-12 ranges in the 1500-1800 range.  Therefore, my anecdotal experience is that it is not an effective way to control mosquitos.  

But I like science.  Therefore, taken from The New York Times article dated August 11, 2008: 

In a study published in 2005 in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, scientists had a group of subjects take vitamin B supplements every day for eight weeks, while a second group took vitamin C and a third took no supplements. Once every two weeks, the scientists used swarms of mosquitoes to examine whether the supplements were having any effect. Although each subject's attractiveness to the mosquitoes varied considerably, over all there was no evidence that vitamin B did anything to help.

Another study by scientists in Brazil tested it by administering vitamin B droplets to animals and exposing them to female mosquitoes (the only ones that bite). They found no difference in attractiveness between the vitamin B group and control groups.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Studies suggest that vitamin B is not an effective mosquito repellent.

I do lower my vitamin D intake during the summer if I am out in the sun a lot.  I run high in my D anyhow (between 80 and 100) -- so this is usually prudent for me.  

 

"What you eat in private, you wear in public." --- Kat

cabin111
on 5/20/16 3:12 pm

A strange duck here...But I had RNY in 2006 and they were finding new problems with the surgery every few months...Things that could be resolved, but I (we) were sort of guinea pigs back then.  I remember the bariatric surgeon walking in (about 7 years ago) to our local support group and saying they had 2 patients with Beriberi.  He told us to take a B Complex everyday besides our other vitamins.  So this sort of freaked me out.  So I will nibble on B Complex pills throughout the day.  And YES, they taste awful!!  I keep them in my pockets, by the computer, on the desk near my chair to watch TV.  I stopped keeping them in the car...Too messy!  I just want to make sure the Bs are available throughout the day.

Concerning mosquitoes I don't think it helped much over the years.  In the 70's and 80's I lived in Micronesia...Mosquito heaven!!  Would spray every night with DEET.  Yeah, I know not good.  But there was no netting so I had to make due...Brian

 

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