What is the topic of this review? The topic of this meta-analysis is the efficacy of HIIT in reducing weight, total fat mass (FM) and (intra)-abdominal FM in normal-weight and overweight/obese women before and after menopause. What advances does it highlight? HIIT programs in women significantly decrease body weight, and total and abdominal FM. Their effects are more evident in pre- than in postmenopausal women. Cycling HIIT seems more effective than running, especially in postmenopausal women, and training interventions longer than 8 weeks comprising three sessions a week should be promoted. ABSTRACT: Backgroud High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a stimulating modality for reducing body weight and adipose tissue. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of HIIT in reducing weight, total fat mass (FM) and (intra)-abdominal FM in normal-weight and overweight/obese women before and after menopause. Evidence acquisition A structured electronic search was performed to find all publications relevant to our review. Stratified analyses were made of hormonal status (pre- vs postmenopausal state), weight, HIIT modalities (cycling vs running), program duration ( 8 weeks) and the methods used to measure body composition (DXA vs. CT-scan, RMI and others). Evidence synthesis A total of 38 studies involving 959 subjects were included. Our meta-analysis showed that overall HIIT programs significantly decrease weight, total and abdominal FM in women. 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. When pre- and postmenopausal women were considered separately, the effect of HIIT on weight, total and abdominal FM were only significant before menopause. Cycling HIIT seemed more effective than running, especially in postmenopausal women, and training interventions longer than 8 weeks comprising three sessions were more efficient. Conclusion HIIT is a successful strategy to lose weight and FM in normal weight and overweight/obese women. However, further studies are still needed to draw meaningful conclusions about the real effectiveness of HIIT protocols in postmenopausal women. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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