Hormonal
In patients with diabesity who have comorbidities, HIIT may significantly increase HDL cholesterol and further reduce HOMA-IR compared to MICT.
If you have type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other health conditions, HIIT might offer extra benefits for your 'good' cholesterol (HDL) and insulin resistance compared to moderate exercise. However, the evidence for this is very low certainty.
Subgroup analyses of studies reporting comorbidities indicated a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (SMD 0.49, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.95) and a decrease in HOMA-IR (SMD − 0.83, 95% CI − 1.62 to − 0.04) for HIIT compared to MICT.
Why this rating
Subgroup analysis with 'very low certainty evidence'.
Source
Comparative effectiveness of high-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training on cardiometabolic health in patients with diabesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Sameer Badri Al-Mhanna et al. · Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome · 2025
DOI 10.1186/s13098-025-01909-z
More from this paper
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT) significantly improves insulin sensitivity (fasting insulin and HOMA-IR) and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) compared to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) in patients with diabesity.Limited
- HIIT and MICT produce comparable changes in body composition, lipid profiles, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, and blood pressure in patients with diabesity.Limited
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