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3 Simple Ways to Stop Fish Oil Burps

Hi Rosalie,

A lot of people have the same complaint about fish oil so I know exactly what you mean by burping up that awful fishy aftertaste and smell.

What Causes Fish Oil Burps

One possible reason for repetitive belching or burping when you first start supplementing is that you don't consume fish on a regular basis. If you're not used to eating oily or fatty fish, your body will stop producing the enzyme necessary to properly digest fish. However, once you start consuming fish regularly (The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two servings, twice a week), your body will actually begin making those digestive enzymes again. As you can see, this minor but annoying side effect is only temporary and your "fish oil burping problem" should go away in about 3-4 days.

Generally speaking, fish oil supplements may not cause excessive belching or burping, but your burping becomes more noticeable probably because of the strong odor associated with coldwater fish. According to Medline Plus, fish oil supplements are usually made from salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel, halibut, cod liver, whale blubber, or seal blubber.

Fortunately there are a few simple ways to avoid constant burping after taking omega 3 fish oil capsules and stop letting bad tasting fishy burps and indigestion from ruining your day.

How to Avoid Omega 3 Fish Oil Burps

1. Some people have found that freezing fish oil capsules helps get rid of fish burps and other bothersome common side effects such as bad breath, abdominal bloating and stomach upset.

When you put fish oil capsules in your freezer, the oil inside the capsule will solidify to create a time-release effect. That means, when you swallow the capsule frozen, the fish oil will be slowly released into your body over time rather than all at once and digested more effectively. Therefore, minimizing the amount of unpleasant fishy odor when you burp.

Having said that, it's a good idea to read the label on your omega 3 fish oil supplement bottle before freezing. Some manufacturers advice that freezing should be avoided because certain types of fish oil may not be frozen.

One more hint, just in case you forget about those supplements in the freezer, you can leave an empty bottle, or put sticky notes in visible places to remind yourself to take your fish oil capsules. Alternatively, set an alarm in your mobile phone.

2. Another simple tip to prevent fish oil burps is to take your capsule at the beginning of a meal or snack, or you can also try taking them just before bedtime. Food traps the fish oil in your stomach, and mixing buffers the fishy smell in the supplements.

In addition to that, it also helps if you start off with one capsule per day and then gradually increase the dosage after a few weeks. If your body is not used to fish oil, taking too many pills at once can cause many irritating and frustrating side effects.

3. There are many different brands of fish oil and not all fish oil supplements are created equal. If you notice that a particular brand of fish oil is making you belch and burp excessively, or producing a stronger fish odor, I suggest you stop taking them and find another brand that will work best for you.

Some fish oil brands go through extensive purification process so that they don't taste fishy, but they're more expensive than standard products.

You can also try fish oil brands that are labeled "odorless." This type of coated fish oil capsules pass through the stomach and digested in the intestines.

You might want to consider switching to pharmaceutical grade fish oil since one pharmaceutical grade fish oil pill has as much or more omega 3 than three regular fish oil pills. You're less likely to experience side effects when you take fewer pills.

So, how do you know if your fish oil is pharmaceutical grade? Simply look at the omega 3 content. It should be above 75 or 80% omega 3.

By Diane Hanson

This may sound a bit disgusting but please tell me how to avoid fish oil burps. My doctor recommended I take fish oil everyday to lower my blood cholesterol levels and it seems that I just can't stop burping up really bad fishy taste after taking an omega 3 fish oil capsule. My husband also had the same belching problem for a few weeks now so we're wondering what causes fish oil burps and if there's anything we should take with the supplement to stop fish oil burping. Many thanks. – Rosalie, Oregon.

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