Summary:
- Researchers at UC Riverside have debunked the long-standing "disposable soma" hypothesis, which suggested that high levels of physical activity necessarily trade off against reproductive success and lifespan.
- By studying mice selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running activity, scientists found that these high-performing subjects lived just as long as, and in some cases longer than, sedentary control groups.
- The study provides evidence that intense physical activity can be evolutionarily sustainable and does not inherently force a biological compromise between athletic performance, fertility, and longevity.