A new study found that exercising on an empty stomach could help the body burn more fat and fuel metabolism, boosting your health in the long run.

The study analyzed the effects of eating and fasting on the gene expression in adipose (fat) tissue in response to exercise. Researchers found that adipose tissue, after eating, "is busy responding to the meal and a bout of exercise at this time will not stimulate the same [beneficial] changes in adipose tissue," corresponding author Dylan Thompson explained.  That being said, exercise in a fasted state could provoke better changes in the adipose tissue.

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To arrive at such conclusion, researchers enrolled a group of overweight males who were asked to walk for 60 minutes at 60 percent maximum oxygen consumption on an empty stomach and, on another instance, two hours after consuming a high-calorie carbohydrate-rich breakfast.

Blood samples were obtained from the participants after eating or fasting and after exercising. Tissue samples were also collected before and an hour after walking. Results showed that gene expression in the adipose tissue differed in two different trials.

Results reveal that the expression of the two genes, namely, PDK4 and HSL, increased when participants fasted and exercised and decreased when they ate before exercising. The rise in PDK4 likely indicated that stored fats were used to fuel metabolism during exercise instead of the carbohydrates from the recent meal, thereby helping in promoting extra weight loss. HSL, on the other hand, usually increases when fat tissues use stored energy to cater increased activity.

Meanwhile, several health and fitness experts also advised to exercise on an empty stomach as cells could deliver bigger amounts of oxygen to the muscles, thus potentially burning more fats. It could also trigger hormonal changes that could promote muscle gain and fat loss.

The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism.