Burping; it can be loud, it can be quiet,
it can be socially acceptable, it can be gross.
But how does the process work and when does burping become a sign of a more serious problem?
Today, we’re going to look at the different types of burp, or belch, as the doctors politely
call them, and we’ll see what they tell you about what’s going on inside.
So, grab a fizzy drink and eat all the beans you want; it’s burping time on todays episode
by Health Chronicle
Audio 2 For regular, healthy people, burping is a
way to release the extra gas in your stomach.
As a natural part of eating, you swallow small amounts of air along with your food.
It normally doesn’t make it down to your stomach so it builds into a small bubble in
your oesophagus.
The amount of gas trapped here increases if you eat fast, because you breathe in while
you’re shovelling in that delicious food.
Chewing gum can have a similar effect.
The gas from carbonated drinks typically adds to the bubble, although this isn’t air,
it’s carbon dioxide.
Audio 3 When little babies are breastfeeding, they
swallow air because they are sucking.
This can give them colic, which is a pain in the abdomen caused by trapped air.
That’s why parents burp their babies, by patting and rubbing them gently on the back.
However, research from 2015 looked at 71 set of mother and babies and found that burping
didn’t reduce the chance of colic and, in fact, it only increased the chance that the
baby would regurgitate some of the milk.
Audio 4 But for us extra-large babies, or adults,
burping can also be a sign of a bigger problem.
The most common issue is acid reflux, more commonly known as heartburn.
Around 60% of adults will experience acid reflux in a year and 20 to 30% will have it
once a week.
What happens is some of your stomach acid accidentally comes up towards your oesophagus.
This acid is what causes the burning sensation and often leads to burping with a bad taste
in your mouth.
This usually happens because of food remaining undigested in the stomach, due to low stomach
acid.
Yes thats right.
Did you know that you feel acidity because of LOW STOMACH ACID, not high?
Yeah.
Look it up!
Low stomach acid causes the food to remain undigested and this food travels back up into
the oesophagus and causes acid reflux.
There are plenty of treatments for the symptoms, such as milk, antacids, and many others.
But if it occurs twice a week or more, then you will need medical advice as acid reflux
can damage your oesophagus in the long term and increase your risk of cancer.
Burping can also be linked to chronic ailments such as hiatal hernias or gallstones.
Audio 5
Audio 6
Audio 7 Now, let’s talk about smell, yeah, gross,
we know.
Of course, if you just ate a prawn burrito with pickled garlic, it’s no surprise that
your burp won’t smell like a summer meadow.
But if you often get a strong bad odor when belching, it’s a sign that your digestive
system isn’t working as it should do.
As you can see, from all the examples mentioned before, there are multiple areas that could
be causing the issue but a bad smell if often a bad sign.
Audio 8 So how do you get you’re burping to come
down?
Well there are a few things you can do to help with this.
Most important thing is to not skip a meal and eat your meals at regular timings everyday.
For example, Eating breakfast everyday at 7AM lets your body expect a heavy meal and
to be prepared accordingly.
This helps aiding digestion.
Secondly, have an early dinner.
Having your dinner latest by 7PM is key in controlling your burps and making sure your
digestion works well.
Thirdly, eat a cooked meal, low in protein and rich in greens to help develop natural
gut microflora.
This would restore and maintain a healthy gut microflora.
Lastly, avoid smoking and drinking alcohol altogether.
These habits do more harm than good and can really damage the gut bacteria and pH of the
body causing more bloating and belching.
Following all this will make you feel your burping come down and will make your digestive
system much stronger.
You may be wondering how to make all these changes to your lifestyle suddenly.
Watch our video on how to start a healthy lifestyle, maybe that would help you out.
You can also click on the left to subscribe to our channel for weekly videos on how to
make your tomorrow a little bit healthier than today.