DEAR DR. ROACH:
What is it within a person’s gut that causes smelly burps? — N.N.
ANSWER:
Eructation, the medical term for a burp or belch, is the release of air from the stomach — virtually all of which is swallowed while eating and drinking. The odor of a belch then comes from what a person had eaten.
However, there are rare times when gas produced by intestinal bacteria can get all the way up into the stomach in people with abnormal movement of the gut, such as gastroparesis. This can also happen in a person with an abnormal connection (an internal fistula) between the stomach and a different part of the gut, such as the colon; in a person with inflammatory bowel disease; or in a person with cancer. This is, fortunately, quite rare.
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Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to [email protected] or send mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.
(c) 2023 North America Syndicate Inc.
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