Tummy rumbles? There’s an app for that!

Man staring at table of food

New research of 2,000 Brits has uncovered a nation of rumble-shame, with 68 per cent of us admitting to be embarrassed by experiencing gurgling, bubbling or booming digestive noises in public. The most embarrassing type of rumble has been revealed to be ‘unusually long in duration’ and ‘deep and low in pitch’. It is most likely to take place at 12.23pm.

Top 10 most embarrassing situations for a rumbling tummy:

1.    Job interview – 54%
2.    At a funeral – 39%
3.    On a date – 37%
4.    In a work meeting – 36%
5.    During an intimate moment with a partner – 29%
6.    At the dentist – 25%
7.    During a wedding speech – 24%
8.    In a lift – 21%
9.    At the library – 21%
10.  At a restaurant – 13%

The research, commissioned by Domino’s Pizza UK to mark the launch of their Tummy Translator mobile app, reveals that after experiencing a stomach rumble in public, 36 per cent of Brits will try and laugh it off to break the tension, whereas 35 per cent will try and ignore it and hope no one notices. Five per cent are so embarrassed they leave the room and eight per cent immediately start planning their next snack. On hearing someone else’s tummy tremble, 13 per cent admit to laughing out loud and nine per cent take a more pragmatic approach and offer them a snack.

London, Belfast and Liverpool are the top three cities to experience ‘rumble shame’. Overall, men feel much more embarrassed than women and 18- to 24-year-olds are most likely to cringe.

Brits were also asked how they would describe their own, personal rumbles – with ‘belly gurgle’ topping the list as the most common description, followed by ‘gut growler’.

Top five tummy rumble types:

1.    Belly gurgle – 43%
2.    Gut growler – 19%
3.    Gentle grunt – 13%
4.    Rumble in the jungle – 12%
5.    Ravenous roar – 7%

To explain why stomachs rumble, Dr Laurence Lovat, Professor of Gastroenterology and Director of the London Gastroenterology Centre said: ‘For most people, stomach rumbling is quite normal. The bowel has fluid in it and gas is created as bacteria ferment the food. Before eating, the bowel gets ‘excited’ and starts moving the fluid around. If there is a lot of gas, there will be a lot of rumbling as the gas moves through the fluid.’

Once the ‘belly gurgles’ kick in, one in five (20 per cent) admits they find it hard to decide what to eat. Women admit to being more indecisive than men and are more likely to crave carbohydrate rich foods, such as pizza and potatoes (54 per cent), whereas men tend to opt for protein rich foods, such as chicken and beef (43 per cent.)

To help with the common indecision of choosing what to order when the options are seemingly endless, Domino’s Pizza UK has launched a new ‘Tummy Translator’ mobile app. The app, available on android and iOS, can be positioned over the stomach to ‘listen’ to your stomach rumbles and ‘let your tummy decide’ what to eat.

Simon Wallis, Marketing Director at Domino’s Pizza said: ‘We make hundreds of decisions on a day-to-day basis and as the research shows; sometimes the most straightforward decisions can be the most difficult – such as choosing something tasty for lunch or dinner. Our customers can choose between 8.4 million pizza and topping combinations, so with our new Tummy Translator app we can really celebrate those ‘belly gurgles’ and ‘gut growlers’ and help make ordering decisions that little bit easier – and of course, more fun.’

Download on iOS
Download on Google Play

*Survey by OnePoll based on 2,000 participants, February 2015

Image credit: Diego Schtutman/123rf.com

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