Research
Energy balance
HIIT is effective in reducing total fat mass in both normal-weight and overweight/obese women, but only reduces abdominal fat mass in women with excess adiposity (BMI > 25).
If you are overweight or obese, HIIT will help you lose belly fat. If you are already normal weight, HIIT will still help you lose overall body fat, but may not specifically target abdominal fat.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Both normal weight and overweight/obese women lost total FM after HIIT protocols whereas HIIT was only effective in decreasing abdominal FM in women with excess adiposity.
Why this rating
Meta-analysis data, though abdominal fat analysis was restricted to premenopausal women.
Source
Effect of high intensity interval training on body composition in women before and after menopause: a meta‐analysis
Marine Dupuit et al. · Experimental Physiology · 2020
DOI 10.1113/ep088654
Meta-analysis · 38 studiesCited 48×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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