Talk:Burping

Birds

When I was growing up my friends all told me that seagulls cannot burp and thus feeding an Alka-Seltzer tablet to a gull would cause it to explode. If true, this is worth mentioning in the section about animal distress and bloat; if not true, it might be worth mentioning as a curious popular belief about burping (akin to burping to show approval of a meal). However, I have no data about this matter (indeed, I have not really given it any thought for 30+ years), but if anyone has this information, he or she might add it to the article. 64.92.181.114 (talk) 19:05, 10 March 2011 (UTC)RKH

Question: do cats burp? More generally, what other mammals are able to?

Talk pages are not for asking questions. Try the reference desk. JFW | T@lk 23:59, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Well, if someone can answer the question here, then that information could be added to the article. PeepP 17:46, August 14, 2005 (UTC)

 Done. AdventurousSquirrel (talk) 07:02, 18 June 2016 (UTC)

farting & burping

There's a vote on Talk:Flatulence about moving the page to "fart" (just like this page is burp instead of eructation). Let the world know how you feel! -69.110.21.188

Please restrict comments on this page to a discussion of *this* article. Ziggurat 22:20, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Some people don't call farting farting. Take my mom for example. Flatulencece, very good name.

Your mom is called Flatulencece? Extraordinary. Are you from America? --OhNoPeedyPeebles (talk) 20:16, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Unhealthy?

I've heard rumors that over-burping can be unhealthy. A section should be added to the article about the issue. I'll add if I find anything. --UVnet 04:25, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

The way I heard it, 'burp-talking' or forcing air repeatedly up and down through the esophageal valve is likely to pick up a bit of acid each time, and over time erode the poor thing til it can't do its job anymore. I used to make myself burp for fun all the time, now I have chronic heartburn.

Article way too alarmist on health

Burping is a natural phenomenon; most health people burp six or more times each day. You don't get that sense from this overheated write-up. For a more balanced treatment, see, http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/tc/gas-bloating-and-burping-topic-overview 93.73.66.219 (talk) 14:50, 14 September 2010 (UTC) Contributor Mare Nostrum 14:52, 14 September 2010 (UTC)

"Compliments to the chef" disputed

I doubt the validity of the passage "in Saudi Arabia, Japan, and many other countries, burping after a meal is considered a compliment to the chef", since I know for a fact that this is definitely not true for Japan. This might be simple rumor or stereotype, as in reality it is considered as much a taboo in polite company as in the Western world.

I agree. Sources would be good for any of these (when I added it I believe it referred only to the Middle East, but people have been slowly adding countries ever since), pending which I'll remove it entirely. Ziggurat 08:57, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a urban legend but it's hard to tell. There is an ongoing discussion on snopes.com here.Milton P Terriwinkle (talk) 16:45, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

It's not true in the Middle East either. Definitely a rumor/stereotype. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.211.251.118 (talk) 06:14, 10 March 2010 (UTC)

Cardia or cricopharingeal sphincter?

The article says that the sound of burping is caused by the vibration of the cardia, the lower esophageal sphincter connecting the esophagus and the stomach. Is this true? As a personal experience, I do not feel the mouth of my stomach vibrate when I burp; instead, I feel the gas come up in my esophagus to neck level, and when I actually burp, that zone inside my neck is what vibrates.

The esophagus also has an upper sphincter, that is the cricopharingeal sphincter. That is exactly where I feel the vibration. I would modify the article myself to reflect that, but I'm waiting for someone with actual medical experience to reply, since I cannot prove it nor deny it (I'd have to perform an endoscopy on myself while I'm burping to do that) and I may be wrong.

Devil Master, 19 Mar 2006, 19:22 (MET)

It does seem unlikely that the cardia are vibrating, as they necessarily have to snap shut very quickly following the release of gas in order to prevent stomach acid refluxing (see [1]: "As the fluid level in the fundus of the stomach rose toward the sphincter with escape of the gas, the sphincter snapped shut just in time to prevent the escape of gastric contents"), but I can't find any references to what is actually vibrating. Esophageal speech seems to indicate vibration in the upper esophagus too... Ziggurat 01:07, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

The first of the external links seems to confirm that the cardia does not vibrate. It mentions supragastric belching, defined as: gas from the oesophagus that never made it down to the stomach. And if the gas never reaches the stomach, it cannot make the cardia vibrate. Devil Master, 20 Mar 2006, 19:43 (MET)

Non-functional Link

The link to "Cow Methane Production" does not work anymore.

Does anyone know where the article can be found again? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Barakitty (talk • contribs) 05:10, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

I FEEL THIS ARTICLE SHOULD NOT EXIST AT ALL OR BE HIGHLY EDITED

the "word" "burp" is unacceptable for wikipedia and should be removed. also this article does not expand our knowledge on the subject so I feel it should be deleted entirely.--Isshii (talk) 05:31, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia isn't censored. Most English-speakers call it either burping or belching anyway, and both are considered appropriate terms. Just because it may not expand your personal knowledge on the topic, many people on the web may be actually searching for information, and this article would help them. Zoombus (talk) 20:32, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Eructation and Arianism

The way found this page was another Wikipedia page that discussed the differences between Arianism and Orthodox Christianity. That article mentions the word eructation as one of the possible other reasons for Jesus Christ's birth. I can understand there not being a link like this to either page. And I don't really see the linkage between the two ideas and how this idea could have worked for anyone. Maybe the word in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism is being misspelled or misquoted. An online historical time line led me to the whole story to begin with. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.113.210.175 (talk) 01:55, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

phrasing..

In western culture, burping in public is often considered as rude. But young people have fun with it. - wow.. i wonder what grade i'd get for such bs in elementary school? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.8.246.88 (talk) 01:20, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

Burp vs Belch

A belch is typically louder than a burp.

Belch: UGGGGGHHHT

Burp: ught

169.233.57.173 (talk) 23:44, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

daily cow methane production

I have a hard time believe that cows can generate 542 to 600 liters of methane per day, perhaps 600 liters of methane-containing gas that is still air to a large proportion 69.172.118.142 (talk) 06:37, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Cultural Acceptance

The Cultural Acceptance section is wrong. Burping is not any more or less acceptable in Japan than it is in western countries. This is bogus information. In fact, the referenced web page actually says burping is not polite at meals in Japan. I will remove Japan from this reference, unless there is some objection. --Westwind273 (talk) 17:46, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

"Some animals such as horses and rats cannot burp nor puke due to structural reasons"

That's what the Finnish article says. I'm not the one to tell whether either is true, but what I'm concerned is it's not in the English article. ----rautamiekka (talk) 00:16, 3 September 2014 (UTC)

Italian acceptance

Do Italians accept burping? Article doesn't say so. 115.188.198.32 (talk) 22:42, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

In other animals: erroneous and misleading claims

Much of this section consists of erroneous and misleading claims. Thorough revision is needed.

• The section states "In the case of ruminants, the gas (wind) expelled is methane produced as a byproduct of the animal's digestive process." In fact, the eructated gas is mostly carbon dioxide; it also contains small amounts of several other gases, in addition to the significant methane fraction. There are several credible sources of information on rumen gas composition.

• The section claims: "One reason why cows burp so much is that they are often fed foods that their digestive systems cannot fully process, such as corn and soy." The rationale is incorrect. Feed constituents that are not digestively processed at all do not contribute to ruminal gas production. When feeds are more fully processed by digestion in the rumen, considerable gas may be produced, The claim may also mislead because, per unit amount of metabolizable energy consumed, corn (maize) grain can be expected to produce no more ruminal gas than the grasses, legume forages, non-leguminous forbs and other roughages in the diet of cattle. This is partly because the volatile fatty acid anions produced in ruminal fermentation of the forages tend to include a smaller propionate fraction and a larger acetate fraction: production of acetate from pyruvate is accompaned by release of carbon dioxide (some of which is reduced to form methane). If more eructation does occur with feeding of more corn and soy, it may be due to increased digestion of feed, related not only to higher average digestibility of feed, but also higher voluntary intake of feed, facilitated by rumen volume made available by more rapid passage of feeds with lower average fiber concentration. However, if a feed is subject to more rapid passage, the fraction of its digestible dry matter digested in the rumen may be lessened, with more fermentation (and thus, very likely, increased gas production) occurring in the hindgut, from which gases do not contribute to eructation. Also, the degree to which the digestive system of cattle can process corn grain varies significantly, depending on whether and how the grain is processed before feeding. For example, digestion of the starch of corn grain in cattle tends to be higher if the grain was processed (e.g. by grinding, rolling or steam-flaking) before feeding, rather than being fed whole.

• The section states: "Some farmers have reduced burping in their cows by feeding them alfalfa and flaxseed, which are closer to the grasses that they had eaten in the wild before they were domesticated." The article cited in connection to this claim is focused on methane release and its reduction; it contains no claim that eructation is reduced wih this diet. Flaxseed is not at all close to a grass, either botanically or in terms of its composition. There is no basis for assuming or implying that any feed so extremely high in lipids would have been a significant part of the diet of pre-domestication cattle. The cited source does not claim that feeding of alfalfa has any effect on either eructation or methane. It simply states that alfalfa was being fed to cattle in the study. (Although there is also no explicit claim that feeding of flaxseed was responsible for reduced methane production in this study, one would expect, from evidence presented in peer-reviewed research papers, that methane emission would be reduced by inclusion of flaxseed in the diet of the cows.)

• The section states: "Escherichia coli (E. coli) and other bacteria lack the enzymes and cofactors required for methane production." In relation to eructation by ruminants, why mention Escherichia coli at all? E. coli is abundant in the hindgut, but hindgut gases are not subject to eructation. Gases produced in the rumen are subject to eructation, but E. coli is unimportant in the rumen, because it tends to be strongly inhibited by rumen fluid constituents within the normal rumen pH range, as shown by Wolin (1969).

• With reference to methane produced by cows, the section states: "95% of this gas (wind) is emitted through burping." The source cited for this is a newspaper column by a journalist who actually states, with regard to methane, "About 95% of the gas originates, not as flatulence, but as exhalation." Exhalation is not equivalent to burping. Moreover, the journalist does not attribute the claim to an expert or a credible source. Nowhere have I found research data to justify suggesting an eructation figure as high as 95 % of the total methane produced in a cow or other ruminant. Many sources cite data of Murray et al. (1976), who found that in sheep, 95 % of rumen methane is emitted by eructation, but in their study, rumen methane accounted for only 87 % of total methane production, the remainder being produced in the hindgut and emitted by processes other than eructation. Thus, of the total methane produced in that study, only 83 % was emitted by eructation.

• No source is cited to support the claim that "An average cow is thought to emit between 542 litres (if located in a barn) and 600 litres (if in a field) of methane per day through burping and exhalation, making commercially farmed cattle a major contributor to the greenhouse effect." Although temperature and pressure for these volume expressions are not specified, making the meaning of the numbers vague, these figures seem much too high for emission by eructation and exhalation from an average cow. The numbers and description suggest that the claim might be based on misinterpretation of the data of Kaharabata and Schuepp (2000), who estimated 542 and 631 L/d per dairy cow for a barn and a feedlot, respectively. These amounts represent methane from not only eructation and exhalation, but also emission from the anus and any emission due to methanogenesis within the sampled area outside the cows, e.g. in manure within the areas where the measurements were made. (The measurements used SF6 methodology in a spatial sampling grid.) Moreover, the dairy cows of one barn and one feedlot cannot be assumed to be average cows, considering relative numbers and characteristics of dairy cows and beef cows, and variation among herds and feeding practices. The US EPA "Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2013, Annex 3", has estimated that average annual methane production of US beef cows and dairy cows in 2013 was 95 and 144 kg per head, respectively. The EPA calculations were carefully and expertly done, taking account of many factors in different regions of the US, and there are arguably no better estimates of the averages for US beef and dairy cows for 2013. The average of these figures, weighted according to relative numbers of US beef cows and dairy cows in 2013 (from US EPA figures, verified by consulting USDA Agricultural Statistics 2014), is 107 kg per year, equivalent to 445 L per cow per day at 25 deg. C and 1 atm. pressure (or 413 L at standard temperature and pressure as defined by IUPAC), considerably below the lower of the two figures claimed in the Wikipedia article. Predicating a claim about methane from "commercially farmed" cattle on alleged methane data from average cows is also problematic. For example, US EPA estimates indicate that the average methane emission per head of US feedlot cattle is less than half the average per US cow, and the average per head of US beef calves is about a tenth of the average per US cow.

• The claim "... making commercially farmed cattle a major contributor to the greenhouse effect", predicated on alleged methane emission from an average cow, is an unattributed, misinformed opinion. Examination of the claim is a bit simpler than if the claim had specified contribution to anthropogenic global warming, and although the calculation below may seem rough, more precise calculation would be unnecessary for demonstrating that the Wikipedia claim is false. (1) In 1980, water vapor, carbon dioxide and clouds, which are the major contributors, together accounted for about 91 to 95 percent of the greenhouse effect, and methane accounted for between 0.7 and 1.6 percent (Schmidt et al. 2010. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 115: D20106). Atmospheric methane content has increased somewhat since then (IPCC AR5, i.e. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 5th Assessement Report). If methane's contribution since 1980 has increased, but no more than in simple proportion to that increase in atmospheric methane content, the contribution now would be within the range 0.7 to 1.9 percent. (3) The atmospheric lifetime of methane is short, recently estimated at about 9 years (IPCC AR5). Thus, recent data on sources of methane emission are sufficient for partitioned attribution of current atmospheric methane between cattle and other sources, i.e. approximate attribution need not take account of long-term historical data, because the relative proportions of emissions from cattle versus other sources have not changed greatly in recent years. (4) Enteric fermentation in cattle recently accounts for only about 11 to 13 percent of total (natural plus anthropogenic) methane emissions, and because of (3), cattle can therefore be inferred to account for only about 11 to 13 percent of atmospheric methane recently. The methane emission percentages are based on IPCC AR5 and FAOSTAT figures (where the latter were calculated by IPCC Tier 1 methods). (5) Although the FAO compiles global statistics on cattle numbers, there are no global statistics on "commercially farmed" cattle numbers or their emissions. However, because "commercially farmed" cattle represent a subset of total cattle, the methane from this subset is some fraction of that from all cattle. (6) From the above, one can estimate that methane from all cattle accounts for between about 0.08 and 0.25 of one percent of the greenhouse effect, and that the contribution from "commercially farmed" cattle will be only some fraction of that from all cattle. Thus, to claim that methane emission from cows makes "commercially farmed" cattle a major contributor to the greenhouse effect is an egregious error.

• The article's mention of an anti-methane vaccine cites an abbreviated secondary account of a study which examined effects only over a very short period. There is no acknowledgment of the more recent study (published nearly seven years ago) involving many of the same researchers, showing that in the longer run, use of anti-methanogen vaccine resulted in no significant reduction of methane production. This result was apparently due to induction of a different methanogen population, occupying the ecological niche of methanogens whose numbers had been reduced by the vaccine.

• The section refers to bloat in ruminants. It might be helpful to readers if there were some explanation of how ruminant eructation occurs and of the mechanism[s] involved in bloat that occurs due to prevention of eructation. With regard to bloat treatment, the section mentions use of rubber hose or trochar, but does not acknowledge any alternative treatments or preventatives, such as administration of poloxalene, alcohol ethoxylate, pluronic detergents, various oils, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, or various ionophores.

• The description of a 'burp" in fish indicates that it does not correspond to a burp, belch or eructation as described in the article's lede or to the subject of the article as characterized on the Burp disambiguation page. Discussion of such release of gas by a fish presumably belongs in an article elsewhere in Wikipedia. Schafhirt (talk) 23:26, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Woah, you're right!!

WP:SOFIXIT Just please be more, uh, succinct if you edit the article! I like to saw logs! (talk) 07:08, 10 March 2016 (UTC)

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Requested move 21 August 2017

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: not moved DrStrauss talk 11:41, 28 August 2017 (UTC)

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Burping → Eructation – "Eructation" is the technical term for burping, and other articles on bodily functions are at their official names: urination instead of "peeing", defecation instead of "pooping", and flatulence instead of "farting". Many reliable sources do also use the term "eructation", so the fact that this page is at "burping" seems like an anomaly. 65HCA7 11:24, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

• Oppose burping is not slang and occurs even in medical texts. In ictu oculi (talk) 12:38, 21 August 2017 (UTC)
• Oppose. Per policy, we prefer common names over technical ones, and eructation, though the correct technical term, is not common. It's also different from urination, defecation, and flatulence, which are more commonly known and used. ╠╣uw [talk] 14:30, 21 August 2017 (UTC)
• Oppose per In ictu oculi and Huw. —Roman Spinner (talk)(contribs) 04:08, 22 August 2017 (UTC)
• Oppose per above. Seppi333 (Insert 2¢) 20:21, 22 August 2017 (UTC)
• Comment: Pinging In ictu oculi, Huw, Roman Spinner, and Seppi333. The following are all reliable sources that use the term 'eructation'.

1. [2]: "Belching can be embarrassing, but eructation (the medical term for burping) is rarely a sign of anything serious."
2. [3]: throughout
3. [4]: "During the Middle Ages eructation in man was an audible expression of appreciation..." and others
4. [5]: throughout
5. [6]: throughout, never even uses "burping"

I could go on, but my point is that "eructation" is clearly not some stuffy formal term nobody ever uses. It is a widely used term, and even Urban Dictionary of all sites has a definition of it. Otherwise, we could argue that, for example, "pooping" is the common name for defecation and thus that article should be moved there. (Besides, this reliable source does use the terms "poop" and "pooping".) I fail to see anybody's logic here. 65HCA7 11:46, 23 August 2017 (UTC)

Sure but the register of "burping" is simply acceptable and normal. It's a bodily function that doesn't carry the same opprobrium as the others you've compared it with. Hence it is the normal term. In ictu oculi (talk) 12:09, 23 August 2017 (UTC)

In ictu oculi: I don't know where you're from, but where I live (and have my whole life), eructation does carry similar opprobrium as urination, defecation, and flatulence. Burping, like the others, isn't discussed in polite company or in public, and it isn't done in polite company or in public either. Actually, urination and defecation are dealt with by excusing oneself to the bathroom, and flatulence and eructation just don't happen. People who burp freely in public or who didn't say "excuse me" are simply rude, and now we're going off topic.

As for it being the "normal term", vastly more people use the terms "poop" and "crap" than feces, more people use "pee" than urine, and more people use "fart" than flatus/flatulence. "Pee", "poop", "fart", and "burp" are similar and comparable terms. 65HCA7 13:33, 23 August 2017 (UTC)

In the five cites listed above, 1) from Prevention (magazine), explains the term, 2) from Study.com also explains it ("What Is Eructation?"), 3) from Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences knows its intended readership, 4) from BendoMD.com explains it in the lead sentence "Eructation (belching)" and 5) from the scientific database SpringerLink also knows its audience.
In the same manner that we submit WP:COMMONNAME in similar discussions, we would rely upon standard sources, primarily newspapers, for common terms. While words such as "peeing", "pooping" or "farting" would be most likely heard in an informal conversation, newspapers stories which have need to report on such subjects would almost certainly (depending on the newspaper) use "urination", "defecation" or "flatulence" which, unlike "eructation", are terms familiar to nearly everyone. Since burping / belching are extremely common terms and frequently occur in print, while "eructation" is a term which is most likely unknown to 99% of the English-speaking population, the title of this article needs to be either Burping or Belching, taking into account whatever specific differences exist between the two.
Finally, while on the subject of common terms, while newspapers commonly use the term "heart attack", two WP:RM discussions {November 2011 and November 2012} have not produced a consensus to move Myocardial infarction to Heart attack.
Let this discussion stand for the record and, since Wikipedia will be around for centuries or even millennia, a subsequent discussion on this subject can call upon this one for guidance. —Roman Spinner (talk)(contribs) 14:36, 23 August 2017 (UTC)

• How about belching? bd2412 T 13:37, 23 August 2017 (UTC)
• Oppose proposed move. "Burping" is more of a WP:COMMONNAME than the proposed move location. Steel1943 (talk) 22:15, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

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The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Roaring Burps

@TheVelocity: the audio file is not electronically distorted, that's just how a normal grown up's burping sound. The previous audio you are advocating for sounds like the half hearted forced burping of a child, I used to burp like that when I was 6 years old. --Yukterez (talk) 06:02, 5 June 2018 (UTC)

Swallowing air vs digestive gas release

In this article, and many supposedly informative sites on burping, claim burping is primarily and almost exclusively caused by swallowing air. This is done without citation or explanation. No mention is made of digestive processes causing burps beyond carbonated beverages. The exception is the strangely lengthy discussion on bovine burps which mention nothing about cows swallowing air. The cow discussion is also supported by a scientific article. To me, it seems unlikely that "swallowing air" is a real or significant cause of burping. Regardless of my belief, this myth or folk wisdom should not be perpetuated by Wikipedia unless the context is explained or a reliable citation found. Cpbm727 (talk) 13:51, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

Burp Solo!

Does anyone agree with me when I say that the burp sounds like a BURP SOLO. Why am I getting the feeling that we should change it... MarioFyreFlower (talk) 20:47, 21 March 2021 (UTC)

MarioFyreFlower, This is indeed, an astounding and astonishing rendition! It is not particularly elegant, but perhaps it does provide an excellent example of the various sounds. I don't have experience in judging the appropriateness of audio clips for our encyclopedia. Yes, it is a bit weird, but illustrative....(and pretty gross, from my US cultural viewpoint). Ah, well...Best wishes, Tribe of Tiger ^{Let's Purrfect!} 02:39, 10 April 2021 (UTC)

A Bird That Can Actually Burp?

They say birds can't burp, but what about the hoatzin? Some say this bird can burp due to their unique digestive system, even their wikipedia page says so, but I not sure if it's true to include here. 118.200.203.31 (talk) 02:02, 14 June 2024 (UTC)