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Tulip Tulip
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July 15, 2006
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Resolved Question

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Why does the stomach make funny noises when it's hungry?

Scientific answers only please!
  • 3 years ago
parth m by parth m
Member since:
October 05, 2006
Total points:
269 (Level 2)

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Because when the stomach is hungry, secretion is going on of various gastric juices and digestive hormones. Because of its effect, the nerves supplying the stomach and the intestinal area are stimulated. They convey a message to the brain. The brain also sends back signals in form of neuronal impulse. These impulses contract the gastric and intestinal muscles and there occurs a rhythmic propelling muscular contraction which is also known as peristalsis. Sometimes the peristalsis are so strong that you can feel that noise outside. Peristalsis occur everytime but basically they are the contractions to propel the food. So they are of maximum strength after 1-2 hours of eating.
  • 3 years ago
Asker's Rating:
5 out of 5
Asker's Comment:
informative
this answer is not accurate; when the intestines are empty, there is a reflex known as the migrating myoelectric complex. this reflex is automatic and initiated by the stomach, not by the central nervous system. see the entry in wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migrating_Motor_Complex

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wikipedia isn't always a reliable source since it can be edited by just about anyone

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It takes more than one edit to change information on wikipedia. All entries are moderated as well. People who think wikipedia contains false information because anyone can edit it is wrong. Anyone can ATTEMPT to edit it, that information is still moderated.

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dude, its just the muscles of your stomache pushing up against each other cuz there is no food in it, that mixed with air bubbles causes the sound of the grumble. pure and simple, without any big words to try to make me sound smarter than i am, lol. crazy people that want attention, hah.

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the phenomenon of "growling stomach" isn't the stomach at all--it's the lungs

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i think geric should try to breathe under water.. it's the lungs? haha

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sometimes growling and gurgling can also be normal digestion. We also have hypothalamus in the brain which triggers our desire to eat. Which causes the contraction of the muscles in the stomach releasing fluids.

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no............................…

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"When your stomach is empty, they release a fiesty little chemical called ghrelin. When your stomach's growling it's this gremlin of a hormone that's controlling your body's offense; it sends desperate messages that you need more."Dr. Oz

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Your stomach growls to ward off other stomachs.

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The most simple answer to the question is..... your stomach growls because you have created a pattern to when you eat. When you are late with eating, your body expects that food is on its way and your body starts digesting.... when nothing is there to digest, a growl occurs.

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could be drugs or you are pregnant

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it feels like it

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That answer is a load of crap. Parastalsis is a muscle contraction that moves food along the esophagus and intestine. Imagine a snake swallowing a mouse. Like any other muscle, you can't hear it. Stomach growling is gas moving in the digestive tract, not a sound made by muscles.

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wow. that made no sense at all.

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the stomach makes funny noises becoz these noises indicate us that we need to have some food to stop these funny noises..haha
if u wanna stop thses funny noises u have to take some meal..

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"Your stomach growls to ward off other stomachs. "

mwahahaha

best answer so far!

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All of you are totally wrong. The stomach growls because it has gas and needs to be expelled either by belching or farting. Get a life people.

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"...your stomach growls because you have created a pattern to when you eat. When you are late with eating, your body expects that food is on its way and your body starts digesting...when nothing is there to digest, a growl occurs. "
It may be simple and not in "scientific terms," but it's correct.

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Because you might not of aten breakfast ,lunch or dinner thats why and you are hungry

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it also could be that you have to go to the bathroom

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Might mean you have little people living inside you, so you should really have this looked at asap from a prof doc. ;)

do you hear voices as well?

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because of gases and sh1t

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Your stomach eats itself up when hungry. Make sure to eat breakfast everyday! Its the most important meal of the day.

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According to my M.D., stomach growling is a combination of air and stomach acid moving in the digestive tract. It's pretty simple.

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well from what i know its air pushing through your intestines because there is no food, or not much going through them

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Wow! What is your occupation, a scientist?!! You sure are smart! Isn't it just air a stomach acid moving through your intestines, make that stange sound? Is that what you said? Because I didn't understand a word of that, so I just assumed that it was smart words. LOL. :-)

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Wow! What a contraversial issue. I like the answer -


"Your stomach growls to ward off other stomachs. "
by Michelle M

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too bad that was the wrong answer

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ok well i learned this in 5th grade... when your stomach 'growls' its actually only your small intestines contracting because they don't have matter (food) in them
hope that helps
bleep_bam_123

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Well, if it growls because it's empty, then why does my stomach growl when it's full? My doctor told me it's actually the stomach (whether it's muscles, acid or whatever) that is digesting the food and pushing it through to the small intestine.

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This answer just plain sucks and is not a real answer to the question

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Who here is a Doctor? Because all these new answers are wrong too except Allen it's your answer that is correct It's gas

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It would be nicer if the answer was put into "normal words" so all of us non-biologists could also understand the correct answer.

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Actually a few of the answers are correct but are a combination of what is really happening .. GEE ever here of the internet to look up medical questions .. !?!?! http://www.medicinenet.com/scr… ...

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lilida has the right of it. i majored in science, and the chemical she is talking about is actually a hormone. & she is right. it is your body asking for food.

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so that you know when you r hungry

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To break it down there are three stages of digestion. Cephalic is activated from the smell, sight or thought of food. Signals get sent to the brain and back down to the system in which the gastric phase begins, but there is no food actually there so the noise is just from air being "digested."

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Peristaltic muscle movement does not make any noise (it is a muscle knot that pushes food forward, and it comes in waves). Gas makes the noise (gastrointestinal tract produces more than six liters of gas every day: most of it is re-absorbed but some does escape through anal orifice).

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when the intestines have no more food to digest and are empty, they still perform muscle contractions used to push food through, since nothing is being pushed through except air/gas, a rumbling sound is made/felt.

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SAME REASON THAT YOUR THROAT GETS DRY WHEN YOU ARE THIRSTY

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i personally do not think that this is a very accurate answer at all.when i read it most of this stuff he said was false.i do not think that this should have been voted best answer. he only used big words to make it seem like he knew what he was talking about.

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it growls because it's digesting.

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i agree with some of these answers it does growl because your hungry and if it is still growlling after you have eaten already maybe your food digests really quick or you haven't eaten enough.

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Its not your stomach growling...its your transverse colon :) learned that in anatomy my senior year.

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your stomach is growing because its muscular walls are contracting due to lack of food

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"It growls to ward off other stomachs" is the best answer yet!

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check out this site http://www.stomachgrowling.net it has alot of good info on stomach growling it will help out alot

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Other Answers (2)

  • Tramell M by Tramell M
    Member since:
    December 07, 2006
    Total points:
    338 (Level 2)
    it make funny noises because you are so hungry no food drop into your intestent and it make it make noises.
    • 3 years ago
  • jamaica by jamaica
    Member since:
    December 05, 2006
    Total points:
    5028 (Level 5)
    Borborygmus (plural borborygmi) (from Greek βορβορυγμος) is the rumbling sound produced by the movement of gas through the intestines of animals. The word borborygmus is an actual onomatopoeia for this rumbling.
    The "rumble" or "growl" sometimes heard from the stomach is a normal part of digestion. It originates in the stomach or upper part of the small intestine as muscles contract to move food and digestive juices down the gastrointestinal tract.

    Although this muscle contraction happens whether or not food is present, rumbles are more common after the animal has gone several hours without eating. This may be why a "growling" stomach is often associated with hunger.

    Rumbles may also occur when there is incomplete digestion of food that can lead to excess gas in the intestine. In humans this can be due to incomplete digestion of carbohydrate-containing foods including milk and other dairy products (lactose intolerance or the use of α-glucosidase inhibitors by diabetics), gluten (protein in wheat, barley, and rye) (celiac disease), fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and high-fiber whole grains. In rare instances excessive abdominal noise may be a sign of digestive disease, especially when accompanied by abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation.

    Source(s):

    • 3 years ago

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