The Study
Effects of a Cycling versus Running HIIT Program on Fat Mass Loss and Gut Microbiota Composition in Men with Overweight/Obesity
This study shows that when men did two different kinds of intense workouts, both helped them lose belly fat, and one kind (running) might have helped a little more — but it’s not super clear. It also found that the types of bacteria in their guts were linked to how much fat they lost, but that doesn’t mean the bacteria caused the fat loss — they just went together.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Two groups of men did short, intense workouts three times a week for 12 weeks — one ran, one cycled — but both burned the same amount of energy.
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 560 / 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.
- 1Yes — even with the same effort, running led to more belly fat loss than cycling, which could matter for health.
- 2Both lost similar total body fat, but the runners lost 16% of belly fat, while cyclists lost only 8%.
- 3Their gut bacteria also changed in ways linked to fat loss.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
Year
2024
Authors
Annaëlle Couvert, Leslie Goumy, F. Maillard, Alexandre Esbrat, Kassandra Lanchais, Célia Saugrain, Charlotte Verdier, Eric Doré, C. Chevarin, Djamel Adjtoutah, Claire Morel, Bruno Pereira, Vincent Martin, A. Lancha, N. Barnich, Benoit Chassaing, M. Rance, Nathalie Boisseau
Related Content
Claims (5)
In men with overweight or obesity, 12 weeks of three weekly high-intensity interval training sessions reduces abdominal fat by 12.2% on average, with running training reducing abdominal fat more than cycling training, even when total body fat loss is similar.
In men with overweight or obesity who perform high-intensity interval training, a decrease in gut microbiota diversity is associated with greater loss of abdominal fat.
In men with overweight or obesity, 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training using either running or cycling reduces total body fat and visceral fat to a similar degree.
In men with overweight or obesity, the initial composition of gut bacteria, including Ruminococcus, Blautia, and Christensenellaceae, is associated with how much total and abdominal fat is lost during high-intensity interval training.
Twenty to thirty minutes of high-intensity training leads to more fat loss than several hours of moderate-intensity cardio.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.