History of Steroids

Steroids, like other performance enhancing substances, have always impressed the mankind. Whether it comes to attaining a lean appearance or developing solid muscles or just to stay healthy and fit, steroids have been used worldwide by people with a bent for success and improvements. They have been and are used to improve the levels of stamina, body strength, muscle mass, muscle size, muscle function, performance, and agility. Not only this, steroids have also been used to improve the process of protein synthesis within cells by buildup of anabolism or cellular tissue besides promoting the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics when combined with high-intensity exercises and nutritive diet.

Brief History of Steroids

Steroids were first identified and synthesized in the early 1930s. However, it is believed that the history of steroids is older than the 1930s since the Ancient Romans and Greeks used to ingest testicles of the sheep as they were considered to be rich source of testosterone. The Gladiators and Wrestlers during the Ancient Greek era used to consume huge quantities of meat for muscle building, while the Ancient Indians used to develop muscle building products made up of semen of the bull considering it to be a rich source of body strength.

The first reference to an anabolic steroid in a U.S. magazine was in 1938 when Testosterone propionate was mentioned in a letter to the editor of Strength and Health magazine. It is even believed that the German soldiers used steroids to enhance stamina and aggression; records of the past even revealed that malnourished victims surviving camps of the Nazis were treated with steroids.

The First Possible Doping Incident

The first doping incident, as per many, happened in the 1860s when competitive athletes were charged with doping. During these times, anything from caffeine to strychnine was labeled as a doping product.

Anabolic steroids in Sports

The first recognized entry of steroids into sports is believed to happen between the late 1940s and early 1950s.

A team of weight lifters from Russia was rumored to make use of anabolic steroids to come first at the 1952 Olympics. This was the time when an American physician started efforts to develop steroids so that the American sporting contingent can win medals just like the Russians. By the year 1958, a pharmaceutical firm in the United States of America had successfully developed anabolic steroids. Though the developed steroids, at this time, had some side effects yet they gained popularity and the world saw the entry of steroids on a mass scale.

By this time, the use of steroids was limited to professional sportsmen including bodybuilders, weight lifters, javelin throwers, cyclists, and discus throwers. It is believed that some of the most successful sportsmen from 1950-1990 were on steroids and some of them were even caught doping.

Nowadays, steroids are used by every one from a professional sportsman to a university or even school-level sportsman and even a normal guy living next door emphasizing upon high standards of health and fitness.

We hope this piece of information on this history of steroids was useful in developing a clear and complete understanding.