Antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis

The antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis (APT) is a theory in evolutionary biology that suggests certain genes may confer beneficial effects early in an organism's life, enhancing survival or fertility, while also causing detrimental effects later in life, thereby contributing to the ageing process. APT provides an explanation of how some genes are not eliminated by natural selection even though they are associated with catastrophic health outcomes, especially in older age (e.g.

Source: Wikipedia — Antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis (CC BY-SA 4.0)