Meta-Analysis of HIIT Effects on Glycemic Control in Adults with Prediabetes

Thirteen intervention studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis authored by Jun Li and last updated in May 2026. It compares the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on glycemic and cardiometabolic outcomes in adults with prediabetes. The review found outcome-specific effects, with HIIT showing advantages for post-challenge glucose and cardiorespiratory fitness, while MICT had a small advantage for fasting glucose.

Use Cases

• Comparing HIIT and MICT efficacy for glycemic control based on fasting blood glucose and 2-hour plasma glucose outcomes.
• Assessing the impact of exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness in prediabetic populations based on standardized mean difference results.
• Evaluating the certainty of evidence for exercise interventions using GRADE assessments mentioned in the methods.
• Identifying research gaps for future high-quality trials based on the conclusion regarding short-term studies and low-certainty evidence.

Strengths

• The analysis is based on 13 intervention studies, providing a foundation for evidence synthesis.
• It employs a registered, systematic methodology including risk-of-bias assessment (Cochrane RoB 2) and GRADE certainty evaluation.
• Results include specific effect sizes with confidence intervals, such as a -0.16 mmol/L MD for 2hPG and a 1.16 SMD for cardiorespiratory fitness.

Limitations

• The dataset is a 226.3 KB DOCX document containing a review article, not a primary data table; column-level documentation is absent.
• The quantitative synthesis was limited, with no meta-analysis performed for comparisons with non-exercise controls or across different HIIT protocols due to few eligible studies.
• The certainty of evidence for most glycemic outcomes was graded as low to very low, and many included studies were short-term.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Jun Li.

Collection Method

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO, and the Cochrane Library.

Time Range

Literature searched from database inception to January 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 04:25:23.