How to avoid fishy burps after omega-3?

The reactive fixes, for the reader who is already burping and wants the next two hours to be better

How to avoid fishy burps after omega-3 is a question the other burp pages answer for tomorrow, and this page answers for now, for the reader who has already swallowed a fasted softgel, is already tasting it, and wants the next two hours to be better, because the reactive fixes are different from the preventive ones and some of the obvious ones make it worse. Stay upright and walk: the stomach empties fat slowly and a body that is upright and moving empties it a little faster and keeps the floating oil away from the oesophageal junction, so a ten-minute walk after the first burp is the best of the reactive fixes and lying down is the worst, the reflux-and-posture literature's rule applied after the fact. Chew gum: chewing produces saliva and swallowing, which clears the gullet of the refluxed oil and closes the sphincter with each swallow, a measure the reflux literature supports for reflux generally and a cheap one, with a non-mint flavour chosen for the reason below. Eat a small starchy snack: a slice of bread, a few crackers or a plain biscuit gives the oil floating on an empty stomach something to mix with and sit under, a partial version of the mid-meal fix applied late, and the snack is small and starchy rather than large and fatty, since fat slows emptying and prolongs the very thing being fixed. Sip water rather than gulp it: sips rinse the gullet and swallow the oil back down, while a large glass of water distends the stomach and can push the oil up.

The things that make it worse, the course that runs either way, tomorrow's prevention, and the after-fixes filed

The things that make it worse are the ones a burping reader reaches for. Peppermint: the mint tea, the mint sweet and the mint gum that feel like the obvious fix relax the lower oesophageal sphincter, the valve the oil is coming back through, and worsen reflux of every kind, the reflux trigger literature's finding, so mint is the one flavour to avoid and the gum above is fruit-flavoured. Lying down: rests the full stomach against the junction and is the reason a bedtime softgel burps worst. A large fatty meal on top: a reader who thinks a big meal will bury the oil slows the stomach's emptying with the meal's fat and extends the burps by an hour or two, the small starchy snack being the right size and the right composition. A second softgel: taken to get the habit back on schedule, doubles the oil in the stomach and the burps with it. Alcohol and chocolate, both sphincter relaxers, are avoided for the evening. The course runs either way: the oil leaves the stomach in two to four hours whatever the reader does, the reactive fixes making the hours milder and shorter rather than cancelling them, the burp's clock page's timing, so a reader who applies all four and still tastes fish for an hour has done everything right and is waiting on gastric emptying. Tomorrow's prevention is the point of having burped once: the softgel goes in the middle of a meal with an upright hour after, the one-week protocol's first rung that stops most burps for good, and if today's burps tasted of paint or old nuts rather than mild fish, the tub is bitten, dated and, if rancid, replaced, since a rancid oil's aldehydes repeat all day and no reactive fix reaches them. The after-fixes filed: upright and a walk, non-mint gum, a small starchy snack and sips of water help, peppermint, lying down, a large fatty meal and a second softgel hurt, the course runs two to four hours regardless, and tomorrow's softgel goes mid-meal from a fresh tub, the worked example being that tomorrow's softgel, £14.99 for 90 at 17p.

The verdict, four things that help the next two hours, four that hurt, and one change for tomorrow

How to avoid fishy burps after omega-3, once they have started: with the reactive fixes, staying upright and walking to help the stomach empty, chewing non-mint gum to clear the gullet, eating a small starchy snack to give the floating oil something to sit under and sipping water rather than gulping it, while avoiding the things that make reflux worse, peppermint, which relaxes the sphincter, lying down, a large fatty meal on top and a second softgel, accepting that the oil leaves the stomach in two to four hours whatever is done, and fixing tomorrow with the softgel in the middle of a meal and a fresh tub if today's burps tasted of paint. Tomorrow's softgel, taken mid-meal: Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil, one in the middle of a meal, 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA, 90 for £14.99 at 17p a day.

What to check on the label

Questions people also ask

What should I do once I've started burping fish oil?

Stay upright and walk for ten minutes, chew non-mint gum, eat a small starchy snack such as a slice of bread or a few crackers to give the floating oil something to sit under, and sip water rather than gulp it, then wait out the two to four hours the oil takes to leave the stomach.

Does peppermint help fishy burps?

It makes them worse: peppermint relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter, the valve the oil is coming back through, and worsens reflux of every kind, so mint tea, mint sweets and mint gum are the one fix to avoid and any gum chewed is fruit-flavoured.

Will eating a big meal stop fish oil burps?

No: a large fatty meal on top slows the stomach's emptying and extends the burps by an hour or two, while a small starchy snack gives the oil something to sit under without slowing emptying, the right size and the right composition.

Can I take another fish oil capsule to reset the habit after burping?

Not today: a second softgel doubles the oil in the stomach and the burps with it, a pool that changes over months does not notice a missed dose, and tomorrow's softgel goes in the middle of a meal instead.

How do I stop fish oil burps happening again?

Take the softgel in the middle of a meal with an upright hour after, the fix that stops most burps for good, and if today's burps tasted of paint or old nuts rather than mild fish, bite a softgel, check the date and replace a rancid tub, since no reactive fix reaches oxidised aldehydes.

Sources

1. The reflux trigger literature: peppermint, chocolate, alcohol and large fatty meals relax the lower oesophageal sphincter and worsen reflux, while chewing gum, staying upright and a small starchy snack are among the simple measures that reduce it after the event. PubMed record
2. The reflux and posture literature: lying flat within an hour or two of eating, and of taking an oil, increases reflux because the stomach's contents sit against the oesophageal junction, so a fish oil softgel taken at the pillow refluxes more than the same softgel taken with an upright meal. PubMed record
3. The gastric emptying literature: fat slows gastric emptying more than carbohydrate or protein, so a fatty meal or an oil taken shortly before exercise leaves more in the stomach during the session and is the usual advice to avoid before training. PubMed record
4. The fish oil oxidation literature: oxidation is measured by peroxide value, anisidine value and their combination as TOTOX, with the industry monograph setting limits of 5, 20 and 26 respectively, and surveys of retail fish oils finding a meaningful share above those limits, freshness being a quality dimension a label rarely shows and a certificate does. PubMed record

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