A recent study from Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University has confirmed what many outdoor drinkers may have suspected: beer makes you more attractive to mosquitoes.

Drinking just 350ml of beer raises your body temperature and increases sweat and carbon dioxide output—three major signals that draw mosquitoes. The bugs, especially females looking for blood meals to reproduce, are especially sensitive to carbon dioxide and body odor compounds like lactic acid and ammonia.

Other risk factors include being larger-bodied (you emit more CO₂), pregnant (up to 21% more CO₂), and even wearing dark clothing. Exercise, skin bacteria, and open alcohol containers further boost your mosquito appeal.

Understanding these triggers not only helps explain who gets bitten most—it also informs smarter approaches to preventing mosquito-borne diseases like malaria.

The Takeaway: If you're heading outdoors with a beer in hand, consider extra protection.