Here's the question:
Is strenuous weight lifting 4-6 days a week, 45 minutes to an hour and a half per day for years on end, i.e. what the vast majority of "bodybuilders" do, "healthy"?
Here's what got me thinking about this: I wondered to myself... do I know old people, who have been doing this for 2-3+ decades naturally, who still lift with any degree of intensity, and aren't plagued by joint pain, tears, disk problems, etc.?
I know plenty of people who maintain respectable physiques well into their later years, but I struggle to think of any who haven't been on hormones for years. The next thing I think, then: do the steroids prevent pain and injuries which would be unavoidable if the "athlete" pursued his weightlifting with any degree of intensity? Do they allow people to prolong their addiction to an inherently self-destructive activity?
The anabolic effects of steroids are well known and oft-discussed, but is longevity another of their benefits? An undervalued and largely far less often mentioned benefit?