GRUMBLE鈥� grumble-rumble鈥�
The gurgles made by a hungry belly are familiar to us all, but they are not just the side effect of an empty stomach.
Brain cells not normally associated with communication send out a signal when they detect blood glucose levels are running low, and this triggers the stomach contractions. Richard Rogers of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University and colleagues used a drug called fluorocitrate to knock out the function of certain astrocytes and neurons in the brains of rats, blocking the sensation of hunger. Only when astrocyte function was restored did the gastric grumbles return, showing that it is these cells that respond to low glucose levels (Journal of Neuroscience, ).
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The feeling of discomfort you get when hungry is called 鈥渉ypoglycaemia awareness鈥�. 鈥淔or most people this is only slightly unpleasant, but for diabetics whose glucose levels can drop significantly, [being hungry] can be dangerous,鈥� says Rogers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to understand how this mechanism works.鈥�
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淧ay attention to that rumbling belly鈥�
