Abdominal sounds, called borborygmi, are the normal noise of muscle contractions pushing gas, fluid, and food through your intestines.
Volume goes up when your gut is mostly empty, because there is less food to muffle the movement, which is why the loudest rumbles often come right before a meal. Swallowed air adds to it, so eating fast, drinking carbonated beverages, chewing gum, and smoking all make you noisier. Foods that ferment in the colon, including beans, onions, cabbage, high-fiber cereals, and sugar-free sweeteners like sorbitol, produce extra gas hours after you eat them. Lactose intolerance, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome turn up the sound along with bloating, cramping, and looser or harder stools. Eating slowly, sitting upright after meals, walking, and cutting one suspect food at a time for two weeks usually tells you what is driving it.
Why your stomach makes noise
Common questions
What causes Abdominal sounds?
Abdominal sounds, or borborygmi, come from normal muscle contractions moving food, fluid, and gas through your intestines. They get louder when your stomach is empty, after carbonated drinks, and when you eat foods that ferment in the gut, such as beans, onions, and sugar-free sweeteners. Swallowed air from eating fast, chewing gum, or smoking adds to it. Lactose intolerance, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome make the sounds more noticeable alongside bloating and changed stools. Noise by itself is rarely a problem. Get medical care if it comes with vomiting, fever, blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, or a swollen belly that will not pass gas or stool.