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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Exercise intensity influences body composition: a 6-month comparison of high-intensity interval, moderate- and low-intensity training among healthy older adults
Maturitas, Vol.203, pp.1-7
2025
PMID: 41175500
Abstract
Objective
To determine whether exercise of higher intensity can elicit greater improvements in body composition among older adults, given that body composition is implicated in the progression of chronic disease.
Study design
Sub-study of a randomised controlled trial (ACTRN12618000700235).
Main outcome measures
Healthy older adults (n = 123, average age 72.0 years, body mass index 25.8 kg/m2) completed three 45-min supervised exercise sessions per week for 6 months. Participants were randomised to treadmill-based moderate-intensity training (n = 45), or high-intensity interval training (n = 41) or a low-intensity active control condition (n = 37), with individualised heart-rate prescription. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to quantify body composition at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months.
Results
For fat mass, both high- (p = 0.001) and moderate-intensity groups (p = 0.016) demonstrated similar reductions that were both larger than control, post-intervention. Only moderate-intensity training was associated with reductions in fat-free mass (FFM) at 0–3 (p = 0.005) and 0–6 months (p = 0.050), potentially exacerbating age-related reductions in muscle and other lean tissues. Overall, high-intensity training had greater between-group raw difference in lean mass than moderate-intensity training at 6 months (p = 0.042) and this group was the only one with a net improvement in body fat percentage (p = 0.017). Moderate-intensity (p = 0.009) and high-intensity training (p = 0.023) demonstrated comparable improvements in visceral adipose tissue over 0–6 months.
Conclusions
High-intensity training reduced fat and maintained lean mass in apparently healthy older adults, though changes were small and not clinically meaningful compared with exercise of lower intensity and considering measurement error. Where appropriate and feasible, higher-intensity exercise training may be considered to support improvements in health-related body composition in older adults.
Protocol registration: ACTRN12618000700235.
Details
- Title
- Exercise intensity influences body composition: a 6-month comparison of high-intensity interval, moderate- and low-intensity training among healthy older adults
- Authors
- Grace Rose (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Sports & Exercise ScienceEmily Hume - The University of QueenslandDaniel Blackmore - The University of QueenslandJules Mitchell - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteSamuel Belford - The University of QueenslandTina Skinner - The University of QueenslandMaryam Ziaei - The University of QueenslandStephan Riek - James Cook UniversityPerry Bartlett - The University of QueenslandMia Schaumberg - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Biomedicine
- Publication details
- Maturitas, Vol.203, pp.1-7
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108763
- ISSN
- 1873-4111; 0378-5122
- PMID
- 41175500
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- There are no linked research data sets for this paper. Data will be made available on request.
- Grant note
- This work was supported in full by the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Biomedicine; Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; School of Health; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991183644302621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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