Antioxidants have been shown to slow age-related processes that damage the immune system.

The findings, by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute, lend support to the "free-radical theory" of aging, in which reactive oxygen damages to cells, contributing to both aging and age-related diseases, Medical News Today reports.

Results of the study, published in Cell Reports, also indicated antioxidants in the diet and supplements (such as beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E) can slow such damage — something long believed by alternative medicine practitioners.

The study focus on the thymus, the organ responsible for the production of T cells, which are white blood cells that control the body's immune response.

"The thymus begins to atrophy rapidly in very early adulthood, simultaneously losing its function," explained researcher Howard Petrie, M.D. "This new study shows for the first time a mechanism for the long-suspected connection between normal immune function and antioxidants."