What Are Sulfur Burps?

These excessive gases can sometimes have a strong smell, when it reaches out of your mouth. Sulfur burps can sometimes be caused when there is digestive problem or infections in your stomach.

Why I burp?

Burping or belching is the release of the gas from your digestive tract up into your mouth. When you eat something, it goes through your esophagus and then into your stomach, so esophagus is a tube that connects your mouth to the stomach. There in your stomach, enzymes and acid start to break down foods and make it a nutrient that your body needs.

If there is any excessive gas like sulfide gas in your foods or carbon dioxide in your soda or beer, these gases go up from your esophagus and come out of your mouth. This is why you burp. Although burping is a normal way of your body’s behavior to let out some air, it can be embarrassing especially when your burp is the stinky one.

These are the main causes of your burps:

• Eating on the run and quickly
• Eating large portions of food
• Drinking carbonated drinks like soda, beer and sparkling water
• Swallowing air (whether with foods or just a bad habit)
• Ill-fitting dentures in your mouth, which changes the way you speak and articulate, so result in more air swallowing
• Chewing gum
• Smoking

Causes of chronic burping

Chronic burping is caused because of several reasons:

• Insufficient acid in your stomach. When you don’t have enough acid in your stomach, the process of your digestion become disturbed and there will be incomplete digestions. This condition results in more excessive gas formation and burping.
• Insufficient enzymes to break down food. You don’t have enough enzymes to break down foods, which causes more gas buildup and belching. For example, when you are eating fruits, beans and vegetables and lack of enough enzymes to break down fiber cause you to have chronic burping.
• Incomplete digestion of fats. If your stomach can’t dissolve fatty foods and break down the fat in foods you eat, you should expect burping and gas coming out of your mouth. 

What causes sulfur burps?

The reason for bad-smelling sulfur burps in most of the case goes to the foods and drinks you eat. Apart from just burping, these foods will cause too much gas in your stomach or flatulence as it is called.

Sulfur burps are mainly caused by:

• Foods. High-protein foods, whole grains, eggs, raw onions and garlic, sour and unripe fruits, brussels sprouts, broccoli, spaghetti, sausages, and sauces are all sources of sulfur burps that cause you the bad odor when you burp.
• Drinks. Carbonated beverages, beers, which release carbon dioxide gas and alcoholic drinks, are examples of drinks that cause sulfur burps. The higher the intake of these drinks, the more you produce gas and burp.
• Certain diseases and infections. Sometimes bad sulfur burps originate from conditions like acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in your stomach. This will also cause heartburn, which you might need to see a physician to take medication. Infections or ulcerations in your stomach can also cause you to have sulfur burps and sometimes belly pain. Infections like Giardia and pylori bacteria are some of these intestinal and stomach conditions that leave you not just with bad-smelling belch or burps but with diarrhea, weight loss and lack of appetite.

How long do sulfur burps last?

The duration of sulfur burps will vary depending on the underlying causes and remedies you take to control them. These rotten egg burps can be unpleasant especially if they occur more often.

In most cases, sulfur burps last a few hours to just a day. They are produced naturally but in small amounts, once you eat foods high in sulfur content such as meats, dairy products, broccoli, or onions. However, these smelly burps may be a sign of gastrointestinal issues such as GERD or SIBO. In that case, they can persist for days and be intermittent affecting your social life and peace of mind if the root of the problem is not treated.

Home remedies to get rid of sulfur burps

Burping is not a big problem and a concerning issue unless it is a chronic. It can the sign of other underlying conditions in stomach or a digestive disorder. Here, you need doctors’ examination and maybe medications to stop the burps and relieve your belly pains, heartburn and other usual digestion problems. Trying some home remedies and some changes in your lifestyle will be helpful in stopping the smelly, stinky odor of the sulfur burps.

Common home remedies to get rid of sulfur burps are:

Avoid carbonated beverages

Try to limit the use of soft drinks, beers, soda, and other gas-producing drinks to relieve both your stomach and reduce sulfur burps or burps in general.

Drink more water and do some sports

Drinking water helps better digestion and is a must for overall health. You will have a fresh and hydrated mouth with no more sulfur burps. If you do sports or exercise daily, these activities will make you drink more water, whereas in your daily life, you may not be willing to drink that much water.

Drink green tea

Peppermint tea, chamomile tea, and other herbal green tea are recommended because of a vast number of health benefits. Treating bad breath and the bad smell of sulfur burps with sipping a few cups of green tea can both decrease and stop the bad smell of sulfur burps and make your day with a fresh breath.

Try honey and warm water mixture

Mix one spoon of honey in a warm glass of water and drink it in the morning before breakfast. You will feel better about the pain in your stomach and prevent the sulfur containing gas of the burps from bothering you.

Limit the use of some foods

If you want to stop your burps especially the sulfur burp, you need to watch out for what you eat. Limit the use of high-fiber foods and fruits and avoid fatty foods. Don’t overeat foods, fruits and vegetables that give you foul burps. You can cut down on whole grains, beans, peas, cauliflower, cabbage, garlic, onions, broccoli, turnip, mushroom, processed foods and any foods or vegetables that has potential causes for sulfur burps.

Avoid activities that increase air ingestion

Stop smoking and reduce chewing gum. Be patient while you are eating and don’t eat quickly to just finish off the plate. Plus, if you are wearing dentures and your denture size is causing retention problems, you need to visit a dentist to fix your dentures. This way, your speaking will improve and you may decrease the burps.

Should I visit a doctor for burping sulfur?

Burping or having sulfur burps will go away if you just follow some simple lifestyle and food changes. Burping is nothing that you get worried about. You need to see a doctor if the burps are associated with underlying conditions related to your stomach, intestinal problems and disorders in your digestions.

Your doctor may prescribe some medications to treat your acid reflux, relieve the abdominal pain or treat the serious infections and disorders when they understand the root of the problem. Doctors usually come up with a complete diagnosis by your blood check-ups, changes in the stools and other signs and symptoms that nay indicate any health problems and risks.