A growling stomach is not always a hungry stomach. Here is what really makes that rumble and where it comes from.
What makes the noise?
Your gut is a long muscle tube that squeezes food, liquid, and gas along. When gas and liquid get pushed through it, they gurgle and rumble. Most of the sound actually comes from your intestines, not your stomach.
Why is it louder when empty?
A few hours after eating, your gut starts a cleaning wave. It sweeps leftovers along about every 1.5 to 2 hours. With little food inside, the empty tube makes the noise louder. So you can hear it even when you are not hungry at all.
One more thing
Doctors call these noises borborygmi, a word made to sound like the rumble itself.
