What did the 2025 Maturitas study find about the relationship between exercise intensity and body composition in healthy

What the 2025 Maturitas study found

The study compared high-intensity interval training (HIIT), moderate‑intensity training, and low‑intensity training over six months in healthy older adults. The results show that exercise intensity does influence body composition. [1][2][3][7]

How different intensities affected body composition

• High‑intensity (vigorous) exercise – HIIT: Reduced fat mass and kept lean mass stable. The changes, however, were small and not considered clinically meaningful. [4][8]
• Moderate‑intensity exercise: Reduced fat mass but also caused a loss of lean mass. [5]
• Low‑intensity exercise: The available evidence does not include specific body‑composition results for this group.

Which approach worked best?

Overall, the study indicates that vigorous‑intensity exercise via HIIT is the most effective for improving health‑related body composition in healthy older adults. [6]