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Thiamine, more commonly known
as vitamin B1, is one of the water-soluble vitamins
found within the B vitamin complex. Thiamine is
important to the proper breakdown of sugars and amino
acids in the body and a thiamine deficiency can affect
the peripheral nervous system and/or the cardiovascular
system. Thiamine is one of the necessary compounds
not synthesized within the body, thereby being classed
as a vitamin, and must be obtained from the diet.
It can be found in a variety of foods, but it is also
quite common to take the B1 vitamin either separately or
as part of a B-complex vitamin supplement.
Interestingly, thiamine has also been found to be an
effective mosquito deterrent.
At any given time, the human
body’s storage of thiamine is approximately 25 to 30 mg.
As this small amount of thiamine is stored primarily in
muscle tissue, it is neither sufficient in quantity, nor
in a suitable location, to deter mosquitoes, and
additional thiamine must be made available.
Studies looking at ingesting additional thiamine through
vitamin B1 supplements have found no relationship
between the thiamine ingested and mosquito deterrent
properties. This however is not unexpected.
Thiamine swallowed in vitamin B1 tablet form is absorbed
through the intestinal lining and excess thiamine is
then easily excreted in urine, completely bypassing the
skin and being unable to work as a mosquito deterrent.
For thiamine to efficiently
repel mosquitoes it must be present on the skin surface.
Thiamine excreted through pores via sweat gives off a
faint odour detectable only to mosquitoes. This
scent works to repel mosquitoes. Although they may
still land on the skin surface first, they will fly off
again before biting. Ingesting enough
thiamine to have it excreted both in urine and through
sweat could lead to other potential side-effects as
well; as it is not recommended to consume vitamin B1 in
such quantities. This is where trans-dermal patch
technology comes into play. A trans-dermal patch is
able to deliver a sufficient amount of thiamine directly
into the skin layers and bloodstream to act as a
mosquito repellent, but at dosages considered perfectly
safe. Dosages are comparable to those found in
supplement tablets. However as thiamine is
administered to the skin via the patch, excess thiamine
is not excreted in urine, but rather through the pores
in the skin, forming a repellent film on the skin and
actively deterring mosquitoes.
Thiamine is most effective as
a mosquito repellent when a person is actively sweating
as the greatest amount of thiamine is excreted at this
time. Higher levels of activity or very warm
climates increase the repellent success of thiamine.
Thiamine continues to work at lower activity levels or
in cooler climates, however there may be a slight
increase in the landing time, or the time that the
mosquito is actually on the body before taking off
again.
The length of time that each
dose of thiamine is active depends on the metabolism of
the individual. In athletes, very active people,
and children, those who have higher rates of metabolism,
thiamine is excreted more quickly and will have a
shorter duration of insect protection. Although
the time of protection of thiamine for even those
individuals with the highest metabolism is still greater
than other forms of mosquito repellent. Thiamine
provides efficient mosquito bite protection for the
entire family, whatever the activity.
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