ReviewJournal of exercise science and fitness2023
High-intensity interval training is not superior to continuous aerobic training in reducing body fat: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Review in Journal of exercise science and fitness, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- The independent effects of isolated high-intensity interval training modalities on body composition and adiposity indices in overweight or obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of aquatic and land high-intensity interval trainings on selected bio- and physiological variables among obese adolescents.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Trial
- Article
- Comparing four training modalities on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular responses in sedentary young men: a randomized trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Effects of different types of exercise on systemic metabolic health in overweight/obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a network meta-analysis.Diabetology & metabolic syndrome · 2026Review
- Article
- Adipose tissue distribution in metabolic disease: depot-specific biology, clinical assessment, and therapeutic remodeling.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Exercise in CKM syndrome progression: a stage-specific approach to cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal health.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2025Review
- Optimising adolescent health: a comparative study of high-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition and cardiovascular fitness in sedentary male youth.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background/Objective: Guidelines on obesity management reinforce regular exercise to reduce body fat. Exercise modalities, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT), appear to produce a similar effect to continuous aerobic training (CAT) on body fat. However, they have not addressed the chronic effect of HIIT vs. CAT on body fat assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Thus, we compared the effectiveness of CAT vs. HIIT protocols on body fat (absolute or relative) (%BF) and abdominal visceral fat reduction, assessed by DEXA, in adults with overweight and obesity. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) including both female or male adults with excess body weight. We performed searches in the databases MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, Scopus, LILACS, Web of Science and Cochrane. Results: In our analysis (11 RCTs), we found no greater benefit on %BF of HIIT vs. CAT (MD -0.55%, 95% CI -1.42 to 0.31; p = 0.209). As for abdominal visceral fat, no training modality was superior (SMD: -0.05, 95% CI -0.29 to 0.19; p = 0.997). Regarding secondary outcomes (body weight, BMI, VO Conclusion: HIIT is not superior to CAT in reducing %BF or abdominal visceral fat in individuals characterized by excess weight. However, HIIT showed beneficial effects on cardiorespiratory fitness, total cholesterol and fasting blood glucose when compared to CAT.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.