Rare belching disorder could be treated with singing, study hints — but not everyone is convinced ...Middle East

A new study suggests that this singing approach could offer a more engaging alternative to diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, which involves engaging the diaphragm muscle to take very deep breaths. This is commonly used to help patients stop burps before they happen.

When it comes to singing, however, one expert told Live Science that the approach doesn't address the entire underlying issue behind the disorder, adding that the study had significant limitations.

"That is why it's called supragastric belching, because it's not gastric," said Dr. Daniel Sifrim, a gastroenterologist at Queen Mary University of London who specializes in esophageal disorders and was not involved in the study. (The prefix "supra" here means "above," meaning supragastric belching occurs above the stomach.)

Supragastric belching is considered pathological when it becomes "excessive" and causes significant distress to a person's quality of life. While rare in the general population, the behavior is more common in people with reflux and other digestive disorders. To treat the condition, doctors often combine breathing techniques with therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, aimed at addressing the underlying mental triggers behind the behavior.

The researchers randomly assigned the participants to one week of either structured singing therapy or diaphragmatic breathing. The singing therapy involved five-minute sessions, repeated three times a day for seven days, in which the patient would sing one of four Chinese folk songs accompanied by musical instruments. Patients were allowed to add more five-minute sessions, if desired.

36 of the study's participants were involved in singing sessions, accompanied by instruments. (Image credit: Ippei Naoi via Getty Images)

The researchers checked the patients' symptoms one week after their treatment and again a month later. After one week of treatment, roughly 72% of the people in the singing group had cut their belching frequency by at least half, compared with only 39% of people in the breathing group. This advantage continued at the one-month checkup: 50% of people in the singing group still met the study's definition of a successful treatment, compared with 31% of those in the breathing group.

Questions remain

However, Sifrim was not convinced by these findings.

"The only way to be sure is to measure it with impedance technique," he explained. Esophageal impedance monitoring measures acidic and nonacidic reflux from the stomach into the esophagus and can help doctors determine whether a belch originates in the stomach or involves air being sucked into the esophagus. This objective measurement was missing, "so I am concerned about the way they made a diagnosis," he said.

"There are two components of the treatment," Sifrim said. "One is a cognitive component, and the other is a behavioral component. The singing is doing only the behavioral component by modifying the diaphragm."

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In his experience, the cognitive aspect is most important, he said. With his own patients, he applies techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy to address the cause of the belching.

While further investigation is needed, the researchers say that their study points to a potential new avenue to explore in future research about this rare condition.

Hence then, the article about rare belching disorder could be treated with singing study hints but not everyone is convinced was published today ( Friday 14/08/2026 - 04:18 PM ) and is available on Live Science ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

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