I've thought about this many times over the years, as my family doesn't have the best history for heart disease and cholestorol issues. About 6 years ago i started using much lower dosages and i haven't had any "really" bad bloodwork. Back when i was using grams of gear, i still got bloodwork done regularly because i learned from good people who always told me to get it checked no matter how you feel. Even on larger doses my bloodwork wasn't too bad, but for a man in his 20's it wasn't good either.
Now that i'm in my mid 30's i honestly believe AAS can definately harm you if you use too much or for too long. There is no mistake that any compound that raises your blood pressure, liver values and cholestorol is not going to benefit you. However, i also believe that as long as you monitor your body correctly you can run moderate doses for many years with zero issues. The only problem i'm ever had from AAS use is high blood pressure and slightly out of whack chol numbers. I just recently started to develop gyno after over 12 years of AAS use.
Bottom line is like anything in life, using AAS is a risk and if you are able to accept that risk then go for it. I've never met anyone who died from using steroids, but i know a ton of people who have died from rec drugs, alcohol and just plain bad luck. Live your life and enjoy it.
If i could start over i probably would never go over 1g of combined AAS and just blast/cruise for years on end while getting proper bloodwork done. These days i never go over 1g and i'm pretty much the same size as i was years ago, but it took many years to build up to my level of muscularity. In any event, it takes many years of lifting weights and using AAS to get into the 220's with single digit body fat. Even when i was on some large doses it didn't seem to get me there at a great speed, but it sure did make me stronger than a gorilla.
This is a great thread, please continue to speak your mind. I really enjoy reading the educated and informed peoples view on this subject.