Research

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Any type of exercise (aerobic, resistance, combined, or HIIT) improves insulin sensitivity and cardiorespiratory fitness in adults with overweight or obesity.

You don't need to choose just one type of exercise to improve your metabolic health. Whether you walk, lift weights, or do intervals, any of these will improve your insulin sensitivity and heart health. If you try high-intensity intervals, get checked by a doctor first.

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For improvement in insulin sensitivity and for increasing cardiorespiratory fitness, any type of exercise training (aerobic, resistance, and combined aerobic or resistance) or high-intensity interval training (after thorough assessment of cardiovascular risk and under supervision) can be advised.
Jean‐Michel Oppert et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2021

Why this rating

Rated as 'High' strength of evidence for insulin sensitivity and cardiorespiratory fitness improvements.

Source

Exercise training in the management of overweight and obesity in adults: Synthesis of the evidence and recommendations from the European Association for the Study of Obesity Physical Activity Working Group

Jean‐Michel Oppert et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2021

DOI 10.1111/obr.13273

Meta-analysisCited 252×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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