Burping after eating is normal and caused by swallowed air or carbonated drinks. Frequent burping can be linked to reflux.
Why
Swallowed air leaves the stomach as a burp. Eating fast, talking while eating, carbonated drinks and gum add air.
Normal
Burping up to 20 times a day is normal.
Medical causes
GERD, gastritis, H. pylori and aerophagia.
Reduce
- Eat slowly.
- Avoid carbonated drinks.
- Skip chewing gum and straws.
See a doctor
If burping comes with pain, vomiting or weight loss.
Normal and medical reasons
Burping releases swallowed air or gas from the stomach, and is normal after meals, especially with carbonated drinks. Adults burp up to about 20 times a day. Eating fast, talking while eating, chewing gum and using straws increases swallowed air.
- Excess belching with heartburn suggests gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which affects around 20 percent of US adults.
- Supragastric belching is a learned behavior where air is sucked in and expelled before it reaches the stomach.
- H. pylori infection, gastritis and gastroparesis may cause belching with bloating.
Reduce and see a doctor
Eat slowly, avoid carbonated drinks and gum, and treat reflux with diet changes and medication if needed. Simethicone is of limited use for burping. See a doctor for belching with weight loss, vomiting, black stools, trouble swallowing or pain. Diaphragmatic breathing therapy helps supragastric belching.
Normal and medical reasons
Burping releases swallowed air from eating, drinking carbonated beverages or talking while eating. Frequent burping may come from reflux, gastritis, H pylori infection or aerophagia.
Reduce and see a doctor
Eat slowly, avoid gum and fizzy drinks. See a doctor if burping comes with pain, weight loss or trouble swallowing.
Mechanisms and conditions
Belching releases swallowed air or gas from the stomach, a normal process. Supragastric belching is a behavioral disorder where air is swallowed and expelled immediately, often unconsciously, treated with diaphragmatic breathing therapy. GERD, gastritis, H. pylori infection and gastroparesis cause more.
What to do
Eat slowly, avoid carbonated drinks, chewing gum and straws, and treat reflux. H. pylori is tested via breath or stool tests and treated with antibiotics. See a doctor if belching occurs with swallowing difficulty, weight loss, vomiting or anemia. Persistent upper abdominal discomfort over age 55 may need endoscopy.
Based on data from the American College of Gastroenterology and the NIDDK
