A research review suggests that exercising a variety of intense exercise with short breaks may help you lose weight more than running at a steady pace on a treadmill or stationary bike in a gym.

Doctors often advise people who are trying to lose weight by focusing on reducing calories and increasing their physical activity. But researchers who wrote in the British Journal of Sports Medicine point out that the ideal form of exercise and enough to reach the ideal weight is not clear.

As part of their current research, the researchers looked at data from 41 smaller studies that compared weight loss results after at least four weeks, either from sporadic exercise or continuous high-intensity training programs, such as jogging, biking or walking at a steady pace.

The weight of the men and women involved in the studies declined and their body fat decreased due to these two types of physical activity, regardless of weight when starting exercise.

"Weight loss is not just about the number of calories you burn during exercise, but also your body's reaction during the hours and days after exercise," said Paolo Gnittel, a senior researcher at the Federal University of Guayas, Brazil.

"We found that intermittent exercise increases fat loss and that sprinting exercises may be very effective in this regard," he said in an e-mail.

Intermittent exercise sessions continued for an average of 28 minutes, compared with only 18 minutes for intermittent speed sessions and 38 minutes of moderate continuous exercise.

Exercise programs vary, but the most common are intensive four-minute intermittent exercises with three-minute rest periods.