Effects of various exercise types on visceral adipose tissue in individuals with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 84 randomized controlled trials.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 38031812 · doi:10.1111/obr.13666
What was done
The authors conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 84 randomized controlled trials (4,836 individuals with overweight or obesity). They evaluated the comparative effects of aerobic exercise (AE) across intensities, resistance training (RT), combined aerobic and resistance training (AE + RT), and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and other anthropometric measures (body weight, total body fat, BMI, waist circumference, and subcutaneous adipose tissue). Interventions were ranked using surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) probabilities.
What was found
The abstract reports directions and relative rankings without numerical effect sizes or confidence intervals. AE of at least moderate intensity, RT, AE + RT, and HIIT all improved VAT. RT reduced VAT in males and in individuals with body fat percentage < 40%, but not in females or those with body fat percentage ≥ 40%. AE, RT, AE + RT, and HIIT significantly improved total body fat, BMI, waist circumference, and subcutaneous adipose tissue; all improved weight except RT. SUCRA ranking indicated that vigorous-intensity AE and HIIT had the highest probability of being the most effective interventions across all measured outcomes, while RT was the least effective.
Why it matters
This study provides comparative ranking across exercise modalities, highlighting that vigorous aerobic training and HIIT offer superior efficacy for reducing metabolically harmful visceral fat compared to resistance training alone.
Limits
The abstract omits numerical effect sizes, confidence intervals, p-values, and heterogeneity statistics. SUCRA ranks relative probability of superiority rather than clinical magnitude of difference. Specific intervention durations, dietary controls, and participant adherence rates are not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- partial Resistance training and lifting weights do not significantly reduce visceral fat, whereas vigorous aerobic exercise such as running, cycling, or swimming does.
- supports Aerobic exercise and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) effectively reduce visceral fat.