When we eat or drink, we also tend to swallow air. When the food gets digested this air gets pushed out back through esophagus and stomach. This release of gas often comes with a not- so- cool sound called burp. So, in essence burping is a very important function of body wherein it tries to expel the unwanted air (or gases found in the air) from the body. Burping is also known as belching, ructus or eructation.
People tend to burp more when they eat or drink gas rich foods like seltzer or soda. The gas from such drinks releases out quickly as we gulp down our bottle of cold drink. If you tend to eat your food fast then the chances are that you burp more often than others because you tend to swallow a lot of air along with your food as you scarf it down.
Burping does not cause any pain or problem in adults but for children it can get nasty since they cannot burp on their own. If you do not get the infant burped after feeding him the chances are that the air will accumulate in his stomach and will cause him gas, bloating and pain resulting in painful cries. That’s why it is always a good idea to get a child ‘burped’ after each feed.
Some people tend to burp more than others because either they eat their food too fast or they are on some medication which causes more gas as a side effect or because their body has the tendency to produce more gas than others. Sometimes, excessive burping can also be a sign of some health trouble like stomach ulcer or gallbladder problem.
