Kilocalorie

Kilocalorie is a unit of energy that is commonly used in nutrition. It is equivalent to 1,000 small calories, or 1 large Calorie (with a capital C), as it is often written in English. The kilocalorie is also equivalent to 4.184 kilojoules.

Definition

The kilocalorie (kcal) is a unit of energy defined as 1,000 calories. This is not to be confused with the Calorie (capital C) used in food labeling in the United States and Canada, which is equivalent to a kilocalorie. The kilocalorie is also equivalent to 4.184 kilojoules, another unit of energy commonly used in the scientific literature.

Usage

The kilocalorie is commonly used in the field of nutrition to express the energy content of foods. This is because the kilocalorie is a convenient size for expressing the energy content of foods, which typically contain several hundred to several thousand kilocalories per serving.

In the scientific literature, the kilocalorie is often used to express energy in the context of biochemistry and physiology, such as the energy content of macronutrients or the energy expenditure of organisms.

Conversion

The conversion between kilocalories and other units of energy is as follows:

• 1 kilocalorie = 1,000 calories
• 1 kilocalorie = 4.184 kilojoules
• 1 kilocalorie = 3.9683 British thermal units (BTU)

See also

• Calorie
• Kilojoule
• Energy (physics)
• Nutrition
• Food energy

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