““How Aging Stems from Trade-Offs Aging occurs because our body must make a trade-off between reproducing and staying in good repair, according to the author’s “disposable soma” theory. Given a limited supply of energy, the amount that goes to making and protecting sperm and eggs tips the scale away from ensuring that “somatic” cells—skin, bone, muscle, and so on—remain in good condition. As a result, cells accumulate damage over time, which ultimately causes some organ or another to become diseased. If bodily functioning is sufficiently compromised, death ensues.””
