The effect of high-intensity interval training vs moderate-intensity continuous training on liver fat: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
CONTEXT: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, characterized by excess fat accumulation in the liver, is considered the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Recent findings have shown that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can reduce liver fat but it is unclear whether this form of exercise is superior to traditional moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to determine the effect of HIIT vs MICT on liver fat in adults. A secondary aim was to investigate the interaction between total weekly exercise volume and exercise-related energy expenditure and change in liver fat. METHODS: Relevant databases were searched up to December 2020 for randomized trials, comparing HIIT to control, MICT to control, or HIIT to MICT. Studies were excluded if they did not implement 2 or more weeks' intervention or assess liver fat using magnetic resonance-based techniques. Weighted mean differences and 95% CIs were calculated. Regression analyses were undertaken to determine the interaction between weekly exercise volume in minutes and kilocalories (kcal) with change in liver fat content. RESULTS: Of the 28 268 studies screened, 19 were included involving 745 participants. HIIT and MICT both elicited moderate reductions in liver fat content when compared to control (HIIT: -2.85%, 95% CI, -4.86 to -0.84, P = .005, I2 = 0%, n = 114, low-certainty evidence; MICT: -3.14%, 95% CI, -4.45 to -1.82, P < .001, I2 = 5.2%, n = 533, moderate-certainty evidence). There was no difference between HIIT and MICT (-0.34%, 95% CI, -2.20 to 1.52, P = .721, I2 = 0%, n = 177, moderate-certainty evidence). Neither total exercise volume in minutes (β = .0002, SE = 0.0017, Z = 0.13, P = .89) nor exercise-related energy expenditure in kcal (β = .0003, SE = 0.0002, Z = 1.21, P = .23) were related to changes in liver fat content. CONCLUSION: HIIT elicits comparable improvements in liver fat to MICT despite often requiring less energy and time commitment. Further studies should be undertaken to assess the relative importance of aerobic exercise prescription variables, such as intensity, on liver fat.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
HIT effectively reduces body weight and fat.
“Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have demonstrated that HIT effectively reduces body weight and fat [3, 33, 34].”
From High-intensity interval training or lactate administration combined with aerobic training enhances visceral fat loss while promoting VMH neuroplasticity in female rats (2024) · cites this paper as [34]
The Effect of high-intensity interval training vs control on liver fat section reports that HIIT reduced liver fat compared with control. The paper analyzes liver fat, not overall body fat, and the passages do not establish that HIIT reduces body weight; the citing sentence extends the finding beyond the measured outcome. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA meta-analysis of 19 RCTs showed that high-intensity interval training and traditional moderate-intensity continuous training were equally effective for liver fat reduction.
“A meta-analysis of 19 RCTs that compared two types of aerobic training, high-intensity interval training and traditional moderate-intensity continuous training, showed that both exercise types were equally effective for liver fat reduction. 317”
From EASL-EASD-EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). (2024) · cites this paper as [317]
The Identification of Studies section reports 19 included studies, but only seven compared HIIT with MICT; the others compared one exercise type with a control group. The HIIT vs MICT results section finds no difference in liver-fat reduction between the two interventions, supporting the comparison but not the claim that all 19 trials made it. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.92)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 52 · Cited by 88
- Authors
- Sabag, A., Barr, L., Armour, M., Armstrong, A., Baker, C. J., Twigg, S. M., Chang, D., Hackett, D. A., Keating, S. E., George, J., & Johnson, N. A.
- Affiliations
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (NZ)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Sabag, Angelo
- ORCID
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Publisher
- The Endocrine Society
- Published
- 2021-11-01
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 862-881
- ISSN
- 0021-972X (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7197
- OpenAlex
- W3211205184
- Cited by
- 88
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 6
- FWCI
- 1.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Western Sydney University
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Keywords
- high-intensity interval training, moderate-intensity continuous training, liver fat, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, exercise training, exercise volume, energy expenditure, hepatic steatosis, metabolic syndrome, adults, weight loss, weight gain, cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance
- MeSH terms
- High-Intensity Interval Training, Exercise Therapy, Humans, Liver, Body Mass Index, Treatment Outcome, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
