Calorie

calorie /cal·o·rie/ (kal´ah-re) any of several units of heat defined as the amount of heat required to raise 1 g of water 1°C at a specified temperature; the calorie used in chemistry and biochemistry is equal to 4.184 joules. Abbreviated cal.

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large calorie  the calorie now used only in metabolic studies; also used to express the fuel or energy value of food. It is equivalent to the kilocalorie. Symbol C.

small calorie  calorie, when the term large calorie had broader meaning.

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cal·o·rie (kl-r)

n.

1. A unit of energy-producing potential supplied by food and released upon oxidation by the body, equal to the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C at one atmosphere pressure. Also called nutritionist's calorie.

2. The unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C at 1 atmosphere pressure. Also called kilocalorie, kilogram calorie, large calorie.

3. Any of several approximately equal units of heat, each measured as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C from a standard initial temperature at 1 atmosphere pressure. Also called gram calorie, small calorie.

4. The unit of heat equal to ¹/₁₀₀ the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water from 0 to 100°C at 1 atmosphere pressure. Also called mean calorie.

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Calorie

A unit of heat measurement used in nutrition to measure the energy value of foods. A calorie is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1°C.

Mentioned in: Malnutrition

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calorie,

n the amount of heat required to raise 1 g of water 1° C at atmospheric pressure, also called gram calorie or small calorie. A great calorie, or kilocalorie, consists of 1000 small calories. The kilocalorie is the unit used to denote the heat expenditure of an organism and the fuel or energy value of food.

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calorie

any of several units of heat defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius (1°C) at a specified temperature. The calorie used in chemistry and biochemistry is equal to 4.184 joules. Symbol cal.

In referring to the energy content of foods it is customary to use the 'large calorie', which is equal to 1 kilocalorie (kcal), 1000 cal. Every bodily process—the building up of cells, motion of the muscles, the maintenance of body temperature—requires energy, and the body derives this energy from the food it consumes. Digestive processes reduce food to usable fuel, which the body burns in the complex chemical reactions that sustain life.