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Breakfast can motivate obese people to work out, a new study is claiming.

For this study, the researchers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom recruited obese participants between the ages of 21 and 60 and divided them into two groups. Participants in the "fasting" group were only allowed to drink water until noontime. Participants in the "breakfasting" group were required to eat at least 700 kcal by 11 a.m. with at least half of the calories being ingested within two hours of waking up. The study period lasted six weeks.

The researchers found that participants in the breakfast group had higher levels of physical activity, which can become beneficial, especially if the participants continue to exercise. The breakfast group also consumed a smaller portion of food later on in the day. They did not, however, lose any weight during the study.

"Despite many people offering opinions about whether or not you should eat breakfast, to date there has been a lack of rigorous scientific evidence showing how, or whether, breakfast might cause changes in our health," Lead researcher Dr. James Betts said reported by Medical Xpress. "Our studies highlight some of these impacts, but 'how important' breakfast is still really depends on the individual and their own personal goals. For example, if weight loss is the key there is little to suggest that just having breakfast or skipping it will matter. However, based on other markers of a healthy lifestyle, like being more active or controlling blood sugar levels, then there's evidence that breakfast may help."

The study's findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.