The Study
The effects of high-intensity interval training versus continuous moderate-intensity exercise on body composition among older adults with HIV
This study showed that two kinds of exercise — one with short bursts and one with steady walking — both helped older people with HIV lose fat and gain muscle. But it didn't prove one was better than the other. It's like testing two different snacks to see which helps you grow taller — both might help, but we can't say which one is the winner.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Older adults with HIV who were inactive did a mix of cardio and weight training for 16 weeks — some did short bursts of fast exercise, others did steady walking or jogging.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 576 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Losing fat and keeping muscle is important for older people with HIV to stay strong and avoid frailty — this exercise plan helped most people do exactly that.
- 2Both groups lost about 3.3% body fat and gained 1.2–1.7% muscle — even though one group worked harder, both got the same results.
- 3People on statins or who used old HIV drugs lost even more fat.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Year
2026
Authors
Grace L. Kulik, Vitor H F Oliveira, Melissa P. Wilson, Vincent Khuu, Catherine M. Jankowski, S. Dillon, Paul Cook, Samantha Mawhinney, Debashis Ghosh, Allison R. Webel, K. Erlandson
Related Content
Claims (6)
In older adults with HIV, 16 weeks of combined aerobic and resistance exercise reduces body fat and total fat mass more than the same exercise without statin use, while muscle mass increases equally in both groups.
In older adults with HIV, 16 weeks of supervised aerobic and resistance exercise reduces body fat and increases muscle mass without changing overall weight or body mass index.
In sedentary adults aged 50 and older with HIV, 16 weeks of supervised high-intensity interval training or continuous moderate-intensity exercise, both combined with resistance training, reduces body fat by about 3.3% and increases lean mass by 1.2% to 1.7%. The two exercise approaches produce similar results.
Among older adults with HIV, those who previously took certain older HIV medications lose more body fat after 16 weeks of combined aerobic and resistance exercise than those who did not take these medications.
Among sedentary older adults with HIV, 16 weeks of supervised aerobic and resistance exercise leads to fat loss and muscle gain in 42% of people, while 21% lose both fat and muscle.
Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise lowers visceral fat, which leads to reduced production of inflammatory cytokines by white adipose tissue.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.