A new randomized clinical trial suggests that singing therapy may be a more effective and attractive treatment option than standard breathing exercises for people with bloated stomach, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that can have a significant impact on quality of life.
The study will be published in the Journal of the American College of Gastroenterology clinical gastroenterology and hepatology; is the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate singing therapy for bloated stomach. In this condition, air repeatedly moves in and out of the esophagus instead of the stomach, causing rapid and excessive burping (sometimes hundreds to thousands of times a day). Researchers found that structured singing therapy could significantly reduce symptoms in the short term compared to diaphragmatic breathing therapy, which is the first-line behavioral treatment for current symptoms.
The study included 72 adults diagnosed with belly lifts who were randomly assigned to receive either structured singing therapy or diaphragmatic breathing therapy. Participants completed treatment and were followed for 1 month to assess symptom severity, quality of life, and acceptability of treatment.
After one week, 72.2% of patients who received singing therapy achieved at least a 50% reduction in symptom severity compared to 38.9% of patients who received diaphragmatic breathing therapy. At 1-month follow-up, response rates remained higher in patients receiving singing therapy (50% vs. 30.6%).
Patients receiving singing therapy also experienced significant improvements in their quality of life and were more likely to describe the intervention as enjoyable.
The researchers looked at singing therapy as an alternative approach, as it combines breath control and interactive activities, which may become easier for patients to engage with over time. The study found that while both singing therapy and diaphragmatic breathing improved symptoms, singing therapy had larger and more lasting effects.
This study identified three predictors of treatment response. They were receiving singing therapy, being older, and having more severe baseline symptoms. Researchers noted that older patients and those with more severe symptoms were particularly likely to benefit from the intervention.
The researchers note several limitations, including the short follow-up period, the enrollment of participants from a monocultural population, and the inability to blind participants to the behavioral intervention. Future research is needed to evaluate long-term outcomes and determine how singing therapy can be applied to a broader population.
sauce:
American College of Gastroenterology
Reference magazines:
Shan, H. others. (2026) Singing therapy and diaphragmatic breathing for gastric bloat: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2026.03.047. https://www.cghjournal.org/article/S1542-3565(26)00475-1/abstract
