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Moving into the mountains may help you lose weight, a new study suggests.

People are significantly less likely to become overweight or obese if they live at higher altitudes, according to scientists.

The latest study involved more than 9,300 healthy Spanish university graduates. None of the participants were overweight or obese at the start of the study, and were divided into three groups based on the altitude of their homes.

The three groups include: below 407 feet (low), 407 to 1496 feet (medium) and above 1496 feet (high).

Study revealed that nearly 2,100 participants became overweight or obese over a median follow-up of 8.5 years. 

After accounting for confounding factors like diet, physical activity and lifestyle researchers found that those who lived at high altitudes were 13 percent less likely to become overweight or obese compared to those who lived at low altitudes.

"While it might not be realistic to expect everyone to move further uphill to reduce obesity levels, it is encouraging to see this effect occurred at only [about 1,500 feet] altitude," wrote the study authors from the University of Navarra in Spain, according to HealthDay.

Higher altitudes reduces the risk of obesity as lower concentrations of oxygen in the air have been shown to suppress hunger, researchers concluded.

The findings were presented Thursday at the European Congress on Obesity, in Prague.