The administration of such a transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonist as capsaicin, which is a pungent ingredient of red pepper, promotes energy metabolism and suppresses visceral fat accumulation. We have recently identified monoacylglycerols (MGs) having an unsaturated long-chain fatty acid as the novel TRPV1 agonist in foods. We investigated in this present study the effects of dietary MGs on uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) and on fat accumulation in mice fed with a high-fat, high-sucrose diet. The MG30 diet that substituted 30% of all lipids for MGs (a mixture of 1-oleoylglycerol, 1-linoleoylglycerol and 1-linolenoylglycerol) significantly increased the UCP1 content of IBAT and decreased the weight of epididymal white adipose tissue, and the serum glucose, total cholesterol and free fatty acid levels. The diet containing only 1-oleoylglycerol as MG also increased UCP1 expression in IBAT. MGs that activated TRPV1 also therefore induced the expression of UCP 1 and prevented visceral fat accumulation as well as capsaicin.Key words: monoacylglycerol; transient receptor potential vaniloid 1 (TRPV1); uncoupling protein 1; obesity; capsaicin Obesity is a risk factor for hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. It is important for preventing obesity to decrease the energy intake and increase the energy expenditure. It has been reported that capsaicin (CAP), a pungent ingredient of red pepper, is the functional ingredient for increasing energy expenditure. CAP promotes energy metabolism (oxygen consumption) by increasing adrenaline secreted from the adrenal medulla and upregulating uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) by activating the sympathetic nerve. 1-4) Since CAP has the effect of increasing energy expenditure, the ingestion of CAP could suppress the accumulation of visceral fat in rats fed with a high-fat diet. 5) The CAP receptor was identified as vanilloid receptor subtype 1 in 1997, 6) and has recently been called transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). TRPV1 is mainly expressed in the primary afferent nerve. 6) Recent studies have indicated that stimulating the sensory nerve by activating TRPV1 was essential to CAP-induced energy expenditure. CAP-induced adrenaline secretion was completely dissipated in rats in which the CAP-sensitive sensory nerve had been denervated by an excess CAP treatment, 7) suggesting that the TRPV1-expressing sensory nerve was indispensable for CAPinduced adrenaline secretion. The effects of suppressing an accumulation of visceral fat, increasing oxygen consumption and promoting thermogenesis by CAP were canceled in TRPV1 knockout mice. 8,9) We searched in our previous study for the food compound which would activate TRPV1 as the functional compound increasing energy expenditure, and identified 1-or 2-monoacylglycerols (MGs) having oleic, linoleic, and -linolenic acids from wheat flour, onion (Allium cepa) and myoga (Zingiber mioga) as TRPV1 agonists. 10) The po...