What Causes Excessive Burping After Eating & How to Get Rid of it?

Whether it’s our sedentary lives that is to be blamed or the increasing contaminants or additives in food, excessive burping after eating is not something to be taken for granted. Let us know what causes excessive burping after eating are and how to get rid of it.

While, in 90 percent of the cases, persistent burping often known as belching is a result of excessive air trapped within the stomach which then expels out from the body via the mouth. But, if it continues to irritate frequently and does not resolve with making lifestyle changes, then there could be some other causes for the same. If you are wondering about what the cause of excessive burping after eating are, here are some of the commonest ones.

Excess air intake is one the commonest causes of burping after eating. Burping is the natural reaction of the body when a person swallows excess air while drinking or eating. Using straw for drinking aerated drinks or beverages, gum chewing and sucking on eatables could all lead to swallowing extra air. Though, many people believe that too much gas is not something to worry, it is something not very normal too. Changes in your diet and physical activity can also help to provide relief from gas.

Other causes for aerophagia leading to burping after eating could include:

• Talking while eating
• Nibbling over fruits
• Eating while wearing ill-fitted dentures
• Anxiety or too much worry while eating
• Smoking
• Hyperventilating

People who are prone to frequent acidity or heartburn, persistent burping after eating may be noted. This can be a result of the body’s mechanism to swallow more air to reduce the effect of acid rise within the esophagus. This is then referred to as belching that involves release of air while allowing swallowing.

Digestive problems are one of the most frequent causes of excessive burping after eating. Burping rarely when eaten too much or heavy is common, but when it occurs regularly after eating, it could indicate presence of some underlying digestive problem that requires treatment. Severe indigestion, gallstones, gastroparesis, or ulcers can be some of the causes of excessive burping after eating.

Moreover, in extreme cases, stomach or esophageal cancer could cause excessive burping after eating. In case, you seem to experience burping accompanied with symptoms like vomiting, nausea, heartburn, fever, blood discharge in stools, do not delay in seeking the help of a medical practitioner.

Some food items can aggravate burping or lead to acid reflux right after eating. Carbonated drinks, sugar rich food, starchy items are all known to cause acidity or gas. Consumption of certain foods or intolerance to certain food items can cause excessive burping after eating.

Other common food items that often cause bloating and belching include:

• Beans, peas, lentils
• Cauliflower, cabbage broccoli
• Fried and fatty items
• Fruits such as apricots, plums, orange, peach and bananas
• Packaged juices, sugar rich items, starchy supplements

Regular intake of certain medications too can cause excessive burping after eating. Some of these include:

• Acarbose: medicine given to patients suffering from type 2 diabetes.
• Pain Killers like ibuprofen, naproxen.
• Lactulose or sorbitol.

Certain medical conditions too can result in excessive burping after eating. Though burping is the natural reaction of the body to abdominal pain and discomfort, there can be other symptoms too which can lead to same such as:

An esophageal disorder where the acid rises up from the stomach to the sphincter causing heartburn, bloating and excessive burping after eating.

This disorder can cause internal swelling and inflammation within the stomach, often associated with nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.

Weakening of the stomach muscles leading to slow digestion.

This involves sensitivity of the body towards dairy products or lactose containing food items. In this, symptoms of intolerance, gastric disturbances and burping are seen after consuming dairy products.

Peptic ulcers occur within the stomach, small intestine and also over the walls of the food pipe.

This is a bacterial infection within the stomach that leads to excessive burping after eating, with burning pain and sometimes vomiting.

• Dumping Syndrome is known to cause burping after eating, when food inside the stomach is emptied much before it is completely digested.
• In some cases, celiac disease or gluten intolerance could also lead to burping after eating.
• Inability on the part of pancreas to release enzymes responsible for digestion could also be one reason attributed to excessive burping.

Though, occasional burping does not require any specific treatment, persistent and repeated burping must be evaluated at once. It is necessary to seek medical advice to analyze the symptoms and plan the course of treatment. It is advisable to narrate a proper history and symptoms to help identify the possible causes and plan appropriate investigations, if required and treatment.

For further evaluation, some of the following investigations may be ordered.

• Abdominal x-rays.
• Endoscopy.
• MRI Scans.
• Ultrasound.
• Hydrogen and pH Examination.
• Blood Test.

These may be done to detect the cause or rule out other possible cause, based on which proper treatment can be planned.

Here are some effective measures to get rid of excessive burping after eating.

• Avoid talking while eating.
• Do not stand and eat, always sit down and practice slow eating.
• Avoid using straw for drinking beverages.
• Refrain from too much caffeine consumption.
• Do not suck on food items or nibble candies.
• Include natural probiotics in your daily diet to ease digestion and prevent bloating.
• Consider moving to probiotic medicines that can help in digestion.
• Stop smoking completely as it directly results in greater air intake thereby causing burping.
• Keep your stress levels low. Excessive anxiety can lead to swallowing excess air.
• When wearing dentures, make sure they are properly fitted and aligned.

A healthy lifestyle is important of get rid of excessive burping after eating. It is important to avoid foods known to cause acidity or bloating and follow a healthy diet and exercise regime. This will help manage weight and ensure effective digestion and metabolism thus preventing bloating and excess trapping of air.