The digestive system contracts to push food, gas, and liquid through the stomach and small intestine to create a cry, the more empty the stomach, the louder the cry.
According to Associate Professor of Physiology Mark AW Andrews (USA) in Scientific American, the digestive tract is a hollow tube that runs from the mouth to the anus and is covered mainly by layers of smooth muscle. The physiological origin of noise is related to the action of the muscles in the stomach, small intestine, and colon.
The humming sound emitted from the abdomen is caused by air, food, and liquid moving during contraction of smooth muscle around the digestive tract. Food will block noise in the stomach and intestines, so when you have an empty stomach, you will hear your stomach growl more clearly.
The sound coming from the abdomen signals that it is time for the stomach to load. (Photo: MH)
If the stomach is empty for a long time, the muscles of the stomach wall continue to contract stronger than before. At that time, a lot of gas and digested food is compressed into the empty stomach, making the cry louder.
The phenomenon of stomach rumbling is the body’s way of cleaning itself, removing excess food and bacteria out. This process takes 10 to 20 minutes and can be repeated every two hours until the stomach is full.
Stomach rumbling is not a symptom of any disease, it’s simply that the body is hungry and is a sign that our digestive system is working properly.