The World Anti-Doping Agency may consider imposing longer bans on athletes using banned substances if research on steroid longevity proves valid.
Research conducted on mice in Oslo, Norway, suggests some drugs could benefit athletes after their bans expire.
WADA, according to a BBC report, has welcomed the findings of University of Oslo Physiology Professor Kristian Gundersen.
Gundersen's research suggests muscles can retain the advantages given by anabolic steroids decades after the point at which they were taken.
Thsi finding could also have major implications for the existing anti-doping system, where a first-time offender is unlikely to be suspended for more than two years and may well serve less than half that.
WADA's Dr. Rabin said that if these results do demonstrate there is an issue beyond two or four years, WADA committees would examine the possibility of revising the existing code and consider a change of rules, if required.
