Monday 3 June 2019

Belching & Intestinal Gas: Tips for reducing them

Belching or passing gas (flatus) is natural and common. Excessive belching or flatus, accompanied by bloating, pain or distention, can occasionally interfere with daily activities or cause embarrassment. But these signs and symptoms usually don’t represent any serious underlying condition and are often decreased with simple lifestyle measures.

When belching, gas or bloating interfere with your daily activities, there may be something wrong. Find out how to reduce or avoid gas and gas pains, and when you may need to see your doctor at AMRI Hospitals.


Belching: Getting rid of excess air

Belching, or burping, is your body’s way of expelling excess air from your upper digestive tract. Most belching is caused by swallowing excess air. This air most often never even reaches the stomach but accumulates in the esophagus.

You may swallow excess air if you eat or drink too fast, talk while you eat, chew gum or suck on hard candies, drink carbonated beverages, or smoke. Some people swallow air as a nervous habit — even when they’re not eating or drinking. This is called aerophagia.

Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can sometimes cause excessive belching by promoting increased swallowing. Chronic belching may be related to inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis) or to an infection with Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium responsible for some stomach ulcers. In these cases, the belching is accompanied by other symptoms, such as heartburn or abdominal pain.

You can reduce belching if you:


  • Eat and drink slowly
  • Avoid carbonated drinks and beer
  • Check your dentures
  • Get moving
  • Treat heartburn
  • Flatulence: Gas buildup in the intestines


Gas in the small intestine or colon is typically caused by the digestion or fermentation of undigested food, such as plant fiber or certain sugars (carbohydrates), by bacteria found in the colon. Gas can also form when your digestive system doesn’t completely break down certain components in foods, such as gluten or the sugar in dairy products and fruit.

To prevent excess gas, it may help to:


  • Eliminate certain foods
  • Read labels
  • Eat fewer fatty foods
  • Temporarily cut back on high-fiber foods
  • Try an over-the-counter remedy
  • Excessive belching, passing gas and bloating often resolve on their own or with simple changes. If these are the only symptoms you have, they rarely represent any serious underlying condition.


Consult your doctor, visit AMRI Hospitals, best gastro hospital in Bhubaneswar, if your symptoms don’t improve with simple changes, particularly if you also notice:


  • Diarrhea
  • Persistent or severe abdominal pain
  • Bloody stools
  • Changes in the color or frequency of stools
  • Unintended weight loss
  • Chest discomfort
  • Loss of appetite or feeling full quickly

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