Article Title: Understanding the Science Behind Stomach Growling
Subtitle: Learn why and when your stomach makes those familiar noises
When you haven’t eaten in a while, your body has ways of reminding you that it needs fuel. Often, the stomach nudges you toward your next meal by making loud gurgling noises. But why, exactly, do our stomachs growl?
According to Tiffany Weir, a professor of food science and human nutrition at Colorado State University, stomach growling is due to peristalsis. Peristalsis refers to a series of wavelike muscular contractions that propel gas, food, and liquids along the digestive tract. This long, muscular pipe consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and rectum.
Stomach growling, scientifically known as borborygmi, is the sound caused by these muscle contractions. Contrary to popular belief, these noises don’t just occur when you’re hungry. Weir explains, “Your stomach can growl when it’s hungry or when it’s full because we have hormones that regulate our appetite and trigger peristalsis.” This means that even after a meal, peristalsis continues to occur, facilitating the mixing and churning of food for easier digestion.
The peristaltic action in a full digestive tract often goes unnoticed due to the muffled sounds created by the contents of the stomach and intestines. However, when the digestive tract is empty, the absence of food amplifies the noises, making stomach growling more noticeable and commonly associated with hunger.
The National Institutes of Health states that after a few hours of an empty stomach, a hormone called ghrelin is secreted, triggering feelings of hunger and stimulating peristalsis in the digestive tract. This hormonal response, in turn, contributes to the growling sounds.
Mark A. W. Andrews, a professor of physiology at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, suggests that the reason the stomach and intestines contract in the absence of food is to clear out excess liquid, solid, or microbial debris. This slow peristaltic action occurs about once every 20 minutes, resulting in louder rumblings due to the higher air-to-solid ratio in the tract.
While stomach growling is mostly a harmless side effect of the digestive system’s operation, it can also be caused by digestive problems. Incomplete digestion of certain foods, such as beans and dairy products, can produce excess gas that amplifies the sounds of peristalsis. Additionally, digestive illnesses like gastroenteritis can cause diarrhea, leading to increased peristaltic action and noisy stomach rumblings.
Overall, understanding the science behind stomach growling helps decipher the body’s hunger cues and ensures a better understanding of this common bodily function. However, it is essential to note that this article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.
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