Hiccups relate to infant’s need to get milk quickly, medical professor says
They’re annoying and have dozens of “cures” that vary, but an Ontario researcher says there’s a concrete reason why people get the hiccups.
The odd and bothersome reflex often has resulted in confusion about its purpose, but Dr. Daniel Howes of Kingston, Ont., said it goes back to our earliest days and the need for babies to get enough milk.
“I propose that hiccups are triggered by the presence of air in the stomach,” Howes, a physician in Kingston and a professor at Queen’s University, wrote in the report. “This stimulates the sharp intake typical of the reflex, moving swallowed air out of the stomach and effectively ‘ burping’ suckling infants, allowing them to consume a greater volume of milk in the meal.
“For adults, the infrequent annoying affliction reflects persistence of an infantile reflex and a reminder that we may have eaten too quickly.”
The presence of hiccups in all humans is common, but Howes noted in the research, which was published Tuesday in the journal Bioessays, that there wasn’t a satisfying explanation about why the reflex occurs in the first place.
He said his hypothesis provides some explanation why hiccups are more common in children than in adults.
For babies, Howes notes that some infants can spend as much as 2.5 per cent of their time with the hiccups.
He also notes that episodes of hiccups that last 48 hours could be an indicator of a more serious condition, but “more often, they go unnoticed or are considered a minor annoyance that serves no valuable purpose.”
The reflex, which is present in most mammals, has led to a variety of possible relief mechanisms. From taking a series of fast sips of water to holding your breath, there’s no shortage of old wives’ tales to help put an end to the pestering reflex.