title: The effects of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: The objective of this study is to compare the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) for improvements in body composition in overweight and obese adults.
  
  
  
  Trials comparing HIIT and MICT in overweight or obese participants aged 18-45 years were included. Direct measures (e.g. whole-body fat mass) and indirect measures (e.g. waist circumference) were examined.
  
  
  
  From 1,334 articles initially screened, 13 were included. Studies averaged 10 weeks × 3 sessions per week training. Both HIIT and MICT elicited significant (p < 0.05) reductions in whole-body fat mass and waist circumference. There were no significant differences between HIIT and MICT for any body composition measure, but HIIT required ~40% less training time commitment. Running training displayed large effects on whole-body fat mass for both HIIT and MICT (standardized mean difference -0.82 and -0.85, respectively), but cycling training did not induce fat loss.
  
  
  
  Short-term moderate-intensity to high-intensity exercise training can induce modest body composition improvements in overweight and obese individuals without accompanying body-weight changes. HIIT and MICT show similar effectiveness across all body composition measures suggesting that HIIT may be a time-efficient component of weight management programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wewege
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keech
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D000072696:High-Intensity Interval Training; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Exercise; high-intensity interval training; obesity