New research has suggested that steroids can benefit athletes for a decade after use, and even if they adopt the method for shorter periods, it can help them for their entire careers.
According to the BBC, experiments with mice showed that a brief exposure to testosterone allowed the mice to rapidly regain muscle later in their lives.
The scientist behind the study says that if a similar effect can be shown in humans, it should lead to a lifetime ban for dopers, the report said.
Norwegian scientists had previously published work that showed the existence of a muscle memory, the report added.
This suggested that if people exercised when they were young, their muscles grew more easily when they exercised later in life, the report further said.