OBESE people can reduce heart fat by a third by taking part in high-intensity interval training, a study found.
HIIT workouts, which have soared in popularity, feature bursts of exercise then short breaks until participants are exhausted.
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Until now scientists have struggled to uncover the best workouts for reducing heart fat and lowering the risk of disease. In the Danish study, 50 inactive and obese adults, average age 41, were split into groups.
One did HIIT, the second a muscle-strengthening programme and the final group remained inactive.
All people were told to eat the same foods and maintain non-training activity levels for 12 weeks.
HIIT training cut heart fat by 32 per cent.
Resistance workouts were also effective, cutting heart fat by 24 per cent.
Lead author Dr Regitse Christensen, at the University of Copenhagen, said: “These data highlight the potential preventive importance of different exercise.”
She said the best way to regain a healthy heart may be by combining exercise with cutting back on unhealthy foods.
