A new report in the Archives of Internal Medicine adds to a series of studies proving the negative effects of sitting for extended periods of time.

Researchers found that individuals who sit for more than 11 hours a day are 40 percent more likely to die in the next three years than those who are more active.

Experts also said sitting between eight and 11 hours daily raises the early death risk by 15 percent.

"The evidence on the detrimental health effects of prolonged sitting has been building over the last few years," said study author Hidde van der Ploeg, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney.

The excessive sitting is not just limited to work hours. Researchers found that the average adult spends about 90 percent of leisure time sitting down as well.

Most of that time is spent watching television or using a computer.

But more of that leisure time should be spent standing up and moving around.

The study involved data from 22,497 participants, ages 45 and up. Researchers also interviewed more 265,000 men and women for additional information.

Other studies have linked excessive sitting to a higher risk of cancer and diabetes.