Contents
The principle by which belching occurs, including belching food, is, in essence, very simple.
If a person cannot control his belching at the table, and especially in the company of other people who share a meal with him, this certainly does not characterize him from the best side in front of them. However, the essence of such cases lies not only in violation of the rules of etiquette. Or rather, not only, but rather, not so much in what can be considered a sign of bad taste and tactlessness, but in the fact that belching can signal the presence of various dysfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract.
When the stomach contracts and the cardiac valve opens, acting as a sphincter between the stomach and esophagus, a certain part of the contents moves towards the oral cavity. That is, such belching is a phenomenon of minor vomiting that occurs without effort and often against the background of the process of expulsion from the stomach of excess air that may appear there after eating.
Based on the characteristics of the belching that occurs, it becomes possible to determine for what reason it is provoked, and what disorders in the processes occurring in the body cause it. Thus, belching, which has a sour taste, is accompanied by the formation of an environment in the stomach with a high content of gastric juice. A strongly pronounced sour belching may indicate that there is increased acidity or that there is insufficient hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice. Bitter belching occurs as a result of bile entering the stomach from the duodenum. Rotten putrefactive belching is caused by the decomposition of food when it is left for a long time in conditions of low acidity, which can occur in the stomach, where as a result a stagnation process occurs. This type of belching can also act as a sign of developing ulcers and stomach cancer.
Belching food, when it becomes systematic, requires mandatory medical consultation and examination to determine the objective reasons causing this phenomenon.
Causes of belching food
As such, belching is a fairly common phenomenon associated with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and in a healthy state of the body.
The occurrence of belching is caused by physiological movements inherent in peristalsis, which is accompanied by an increase in pressure in the stomach and a simultaneous weakening of the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus. The result of this is that some of the air that enters the stomach during food intake rushes towards the oral cavity. In some cases, a certain amount of previously eaten food may also be involved in this process, which acts as a cause of belching food.
Belching of food or the smell of it can occur as a result of a slowdown in the transport of stomach contents into the duodenum. We can talk about this based on the fact that the appearance of such belching is observed even after 8 or more hours after eating.
The following are also prerequisites for belching food. When a person is actively talking while eating, eats food in a hurry, not chewed enough, or is in a strong emotionally charged state, he tends to swallow air along with the food. Subsequently, the stomach gets rid of the excess pressure that arises in it through belching. And if it is extremely full as a result of overeating and a person’s intemperance in food, this does not exclude the possibility that, along with air, a certain amount of gastric contents may end up in the oral cavity.
However, not only those factors that are associated with the way food is taken, how a person eats, but also what foods take place in the diet are important. In particular, excessive consumption of highly carbonated drinks, ice cream, milk, onions, cabbage, and legumes leads to increased gas-forming processes in the stomach.
The reasons for belching food can be very different, and although such a phenomenon in itself may not cause any concern, nevertheless, if such cases become more frequent, this can become a harbinger of such serious problems as the development of pancreatitis, gastritis, gastroduodenitis, gallbladder lesions, hiatal hernia and ulcers.
Symptoms of belching food
When healthy people burp, along with air from the stomach, along with part of the air accumulated there after eating, a small part of the recently eaten food can enter the esophagus and then into the oral cavity. Actually, belching is a completely natural physiological process inherent in the human body. Another thing is that the contents of the stomach into the mouth during a belch in some cases may be in quantities that bring such a belch closer to being classified as vomiting.
Symptoms of food belching often occur after a person has eaten too much and too much. Especially if the process of absorption of food was accompanied by washing it down with highly carbonated drinks, leading to an increased content of gases in the stomach. A characteristic symptom accompanying this is the appearance of bloating. In addition, pain may occur in the abdomen, constipation may appear, or, conversely, diarrhea with flatulence. Nausea and vomiting become frequent companions, or each of these manifestations can occur separately. In addition, a person may suffer from heartburn.
Thus, the totality of the above manifestations characterizes the symptoms of belching with food, but on the other hand, it, in turn, can act as one of the characteristic phenomena in gastric, liver diseases, gallbladder diseases, and in disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
Constant belching of food
Since belching is by and large an integral aspect of the functioning of the human body, first of all it is necessary to understand when it can be considered not beyond what is seen as the norm, and in what cases it is said that it occurs with an abnormally high frequency. In a healthy state of the body, after eating, belching usually occurs about 4 times. When this number reaches a value exceeding this value, this may indicate some kind of pathology.
Constant belching of food, which is of a reflex nature, in many cases accompanies the course of many diseases of the internal organs, including stomach diseases, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and gall bladder. The high systematicity of spontaneously occurring processes of expulsion of air from the stomach along with a certain amount of food may be caused by existing disorders in the function of the closure of the sphincter separating the stomach from the esophagus. This can occur as a consequence of surgical intervention on the gastrointestinal tract, and also in the presence of a hernia in the diaphragm.
Constant belching is often provoked by neuropathy in its autonomous form, in which there is damage to the nerves that innervate the digestive tract. As a result, the movement of food in the esophagus, and further in the stomach and intestines occurs unevenly, since the rhythm of muscle contractions is disturbed. The consequence of this is that the evacuation of the contents is delayed, and the preconditions are created for the development of reflux.
Constant belching of food is primarily a reflection of negative processes occurring in the body in the internal organs associated with digestive functions. Because of this, to cure such belching it is necessary first of all to take measures against the underlying disease causing it.
Diagnosis of food belching
Diagnosis of belching with food is carried out on the basis of a careful study of the medical history of the person who sought medical help for this issue. During a consultation with a medical specialist, the information is clarified in terms of how long ago the patient noted its initial appearance, with what frequency such belching occurs, in what time period after eating it occurs, and how long it usually lasts.
In the process of establishing a diagnosis, it is necessary to either state or exclude the presence of gastrointestinal diseases: gastritis, cholecystitis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer.
Mandatory laboratory tests are required. The person is sent for a clinical blood test, as well as biochemistry. Feces are tested for possible detection of hidden blood. It is also necessary to conduct a coprogram.
Diagnostic measures through instrumental research methods are advisable. They are carried out using ultrasound diagnostics, colonoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, respiratory diagnostics in order to identify or refute the presence of Helicobacter pylori. In addition, the amount of stomach acid produced is tested.
Diagnosis of belching with food allows, based on the results of the prescribed necessary studies and tests, to develop a plan for rational treatment of the underlying disease, which is the main cause of involuntary regurgitation of food. The belching itself does not require any special treatment.
Treating belching with food
Treatment of belching with food is chosen taking into account those specific factors of the patient’s body condition that they cause the occurrence of such a phenomenon. It is possible that as a result of all the required diagnostic measures taken, it becomes possible to exclude from the list of probable causes the presence of any gastrointestinal tract diseases. Treatment in this case increasingly comes down to recommendations for the patient to consider the issue of the correct approach to organizing his diet. It is necessary to strictly follow the received medical corrective instructions regarding the necessary diet. You need to eat food in small portions and be sure to chew the food thoroughly. Care should be taken to ensure that the diet is balanced in terms of the content of all the vitamins and microelements necessary for the normal functioning of the human body.
As for those cases in which it can be stated with complete certainty that belching food is caused by one or another gastrointestinal disease, the vector of targeted medical intervention should be directed primarily against this disease. By stopping the negative progress of its development, it will be possible to get rid of belching with food.
Treatment of belching with food, as is obvious from everything we have discussed, involves an integrated approach, including treatment of the main disease that provokes it, as well as the organization of a proper diet that helps reduce the risk of its occurrence in the future.
How to get rid of belching with food?
It is imperative to seek medical help when it lasts with a large number of repetitions for an hour for at least five days. This may indicate the presence of a certain pathology in the body and requires examination of the person to establish a diagnosis and begin treatment of the underlying disease as its main cause.
And belching of food that occurs occasionally, and does not occur regularly on an ongoing basis, does not require any special treatment. Mainly, its occurrence occurs due to an irrational approach to the issue of proper nutrition.
There are a number of practical recommendations that can be useful in how to get rid of belching with food.
Fundamental here is the principle of excluding those foods that require a long time to digest in the stomach. It is also recommended to limit the consumption of highly carbonated drinks, beer, and oxygen cocktails. The diet should be built on the principles of fractional nutrition, adhering to which you need to eat small portions of food up to five times throughout the day.
In addition, an indispensable condition in the fight against belching is the correct process of eating, during which you should not rush, but chew everything thoroughly.
You should always eat in moderation, avoiding overeating. And when experiencing the consequences of any stressful situations, in a state of nervous tension, it is better to postpone a meal until you can restore calm and peace of mind. And while eating, try to refrain from talking at the table.
How to get rid of belching with food can also be understood if, by excluding certain dishes and food products, one comes to an understanding of which of them lies the main reason for such an individual reaction of the body that manifests itself as belching.
Preventing belching with food
Prevention of belching with food comes down to a number of relevant rules and principles, following which helps reduce the likelihood of encountering this rather unpleasant phenomenon. Thus, the guide to action in this matter suggests literally the following.
The first step is to give up foods that lead to increased formation of gases in the stomach.
The relevance of the problem of belching can be reduced as the disease recedes in the process of timely treatment of various gastrointestinal diseases that provoke them. After all, such belchings often appear against the background of inflammatory processes in the stomach – gastritis, in the gallbladder (cholecystitis), with gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers. Successful treatment of these lesions of the digestive system in the human body prevents the very possibility of belching in connection with them. Therapeutic measures aimed at healing hernias in the diaphragmatic area are also a positive preventive factor against belching food, since due to a hernia the activity of the sphincter separating the esophagus and stomach is disrupted, due to which food from the stomach can move to the oral cavity.
And of course, we cannot ignore and once again emphasize that the best prevention against many diseases is a healthy lifestyle, moderation in food, quitting smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages only in reasonable quantities. Preventing belching with food is also no exception here.
Forecast for food belching
The prognosis of belching with food is determined by the degree of effectiveness of the applied therapeutic measures for a specific disease of the digestive system, the course of which it accompanies. Belching, in its essence, being nothing more than a characteristic symptom, is not able to lead to an improvement or deterioration of the condition, causing a tendency towards positive or negative changes in the course of the underlying disease.
However, this should in no way inspire confidence that treatment and preventive measures taken to prevent the development of diseases in which belching of food can occur can be neglected.