Knowra Energy balance Energy balance Energy balance is the relationship between energy entering a system, energy leaving it, and changes in energy stored within it. In human nutrition, it links food energy intake with energy expenditure and changes in body energy stores.
Energy intake : Energy obtained from food and drink, usually measured in kilocalories or kilojoules. It is the incoming energy term in the body's balance.
Calorie : A unit of energy; in nutrition, one Calorie usually means one kilocalorie. Food energy and expenditure are commonly expressed in this unit.
Weight loss : A reduction in body mass, which may include fat, water, and lean tissue. A sustained negative energy balance often produces weight loss, though its composition varies.
Calories in, calories out : A shorthand model that relates energy consumed to energy expended. It summarizes the accounting principle but can hide adaptive physiology and measurement uncertainty.
Energy expenditure : Energy used by the body for metabolism, movement, and processing food. It is the outgoing energy term that is compared with intake.
Kilojoule : The SI unit of energy, equal to 1,000 joules. It is the standard alternative to kilocalories for reporting energy.
Weight gain : An increase in body mass caused by changes in tissue, fluid, or other body contents. A sustained positive energy balance can increase stored body energy and weight.
Set point theory : The hypothesis that biological feedback defends a preferred range of body weight or fatness. It emphasizes regulated responses that can oppose deliberate energy imbalance.
Basal metabolic rate : The energy expenditure required to sustain essential bodily functions at rest under specified conditions. It accounts for much of daily expenditure even without deliberate activity.
Energy density : The amount of energy in a given mass or volume of food. It helps explain how food quantity and energy intake can diverge.
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