Gas, Bloating, and Burping Topic Overview
Intestinal gas (flatus) and burping can be embarrassing problems. Bloating, a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, can be quite uncomfortable. Gas, burping, and bloating can often be prevented by changing how or what you eat or drink.
Belching or burping (eructation) is the voluntary or involuntary, sometimes noisy release of air from the stomach or esophagus
through the mouth. Burping 3 to 4 times after a meal is normal and is usually caused by swallowing air. Other causes of burping include nervous habits or certain medical conditions (usually digestive disorders). In some cultures, a person may belch loudly after eating to show appreciation for the meal.
All people pass gas, but some people produce more gas than others, sometimes enough to cause distress. It is normal to pass gas from 6 to 20 times per day. Although this may embarrass or annoy you, excess intestinal gas usually is not caused by a serious health condition.
Common causes of gas and bloating include:Swallowing air. If swallowed air is not burped up, it passes through the digestive tract and is released through the anus as flatus. Excessive air swallowing may cause hiccups.
Gas-producing foods and beverages.
Constipation. This can cause bloating but generally not increased gas.
Medications or nutritional supplements.
Symptom Relief
While burping isn't considered a health problem, it can be a little hard on your pride—particularly when you're in public. Here's how to keep your decorum.
Eat less air. Although there's no evidence that chewing with your mouth closed will help stop burping, chewing more slowly and carefully should, says Dr. Clarkston. It also enhances digestion, helping cut down on gas and stomach upset.
Nix nervousness. Some people fidget with their fingers or tap their toes when they're nervous. Others gulp literally gallons of air as they try to soothe a dry mouth and throat, says Dr. Cooper. Try finding other outlets for your nervous energy. Stand up and stretch or go for a walk around the block.
Forgo the fizz. Carbonated beverages taste great on the way down. What's less satisfying is the way the pressurized air sometimes forces its way back out, says Alan R. Gaby, M.D., a Baltimore physician and president of the American Holistic Medical Association. If you'd like to squelch that belch until after the dinner party, you might be wise to select a noncarbonated beverage instead.
Get rid of gum. Chewing gum helps create saliva that's later swallowed along with air, says Dr. Clarkston.
Sip from a glass. Drinking from straws and water fountains allows still more air to mix in with water, says Dr. Cooper. Drink directly from a glass or cup instead.
Go light on airy foods. Whipped foods like milk shakes and soufflés tend to have air in them, increasing your chance of burping, says Dr. Cooper.
Do the elimination diet. If none of the previous tips seem to help curb excess burping, a food allergy or sensitivity to milk may be to blame. Carefully eliminating some foods from your diet may give you some insight into the problem. Some of the most common culprits are milk, eggs, wheat, corn, soy, peanuts, citrus fruits, colas and chocolate.
"Many people have food allergies, and when they get off the food, their symptoms miraculously go away," says Dr. Gaby. If you stop drinking milk for several days, for example, and your belching stops, you may have found the problem. Just to be sure, have some more milk: If your belching resumes, you may have to find another source of calcium, he says.
Take a test. If you've investigated several causes of excessive burping and still don't have a clue, have your doctor perform a Heidelberg test. This quick office procedure checks the acid level of your stomach. While extra acid can lead to ulcers, low acid can slow digestion, causing burping, says Dr. Gaby.
Add some acid. If you're a touch low on stomach acid, you may need to add some with the first few bites of your meal. Hydrochloric acid tablets are available at most health food stores, says Dr. Gaby.
