| Surprising it may seem, but tracing the history of | | | | between those who received anabolic steroid |
| anabolic steroid will reveal that there was prevalence | | | | injection and those who were given placebo. |
| of its use among professional athletes in ancient | | | | Later in 1996, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
| Greece. In those times, athletes used natural steroidal | | | | decided to examine the effect of the drug by |
| substances in order to enhance Androgenic ( anabolic | | | | injecting testosterone enanthate in high doses |
| growth in the body. | | | | intramuscularly at the rate of 600 mg/week for 10 |
| As the history of anabolic steroid unfolds, one would | | | | weeks. The results gave clear indication of increase in |
| find that in early 1930s, German scientists discovered | | | | muscle mass and decrease in fat mass among those |
| the drug in modern pharmaceutical form - albeit | | | | who took the test as against those who took |
| accidentally. There was however no immediate | | | | placebo injections. |
| interest to pursue research into the drug's utility. | | | | Meanwhile, the US Congress approved the Anabolic |
| After a hiatus of nearly 2 decades, the first serious | | | | Steroid Control Act of 1990, and accordingly the |
| scientific attention to anabolic steroid ( upon in 1950s | | | | anabolic steroids are placed into Schedule II of the |
| when methandrostenolone or Dianabol ( approved by | | | | Controlled Substances Act (CSA). |
| the FDA for use in US in 1958 after it was known to | | | | It is not known how the history of anabolic steroid |
| have had promising trials in other countries. | | | | will trace its route in future. For now, as recently as |
| In spite of sporadic trial and use of anabolic steroid | | | | on January 20, 2005, the CSA has been further |
| from 60s through 80s, doubts remained as to | | | | amended to make way for Anabolic Steroid Control |
| whether it had any real effect. In 1972 a study was | | | | Act of 2004, vide which both anabolic steroids and |
| done whereby no big difference could be noticed | | | | prohormones are now controlled substances. |