MuscleTech Muscle Peptide 185: New Name, Walmart Dose, and DL185 Research

MuscleTech Muscle Peptide 185 uses DL185 dileucine. Compare the standard 2g and Walmart 1g versions, plus the latest human strength and MPS research.

MuscleTech launched Peptide 185 in January 2024 as one of the first standalone dileucine supplements and the start of a whole new line of peptide-based supplements. Two years later, the product has a new name, new packaging, an entire Peptide Series around it, and a Walmart SKU that brings more affordability.

Since its launch, the science has changed even more than the bottle. PricePlow's original article covered one published acute study, one conference presentation, and a University of Toronto poster. The resistance-training trial has since reached full peer-reviewed publication, and the Toronto project has also become a peer-reviewed paper with even greater conclusions from the preliminary poster language originally discussed.

Peptide 185 Becomes Muscle Peptide 185

MuscleTech's founding peptide product is now called Muscle Peptide 185. So if you searched for the original Peptide 185 name, you've found the right page -- the name just has a bit of an upgrade informing consumers what it's for... muscle gains.

Over time, distribution has changed too. It hasn't taken long for larger retailers, and even FDM (Food/Drug/Mass) stores to get interested in the peptide craze. And now it's coming to Walmart.

Now Available at Walmart in a More Affordable 56-Capsule Size

MuscleTech's standard 84-capsule bottle provides 28 servings of 2g DL185, using three capsules per serving. That's still available on their website and most specialty retailers, but what about FDM customers that want to give it a shot too?

The new bottle specifically sold at Walmart also provides 28 servings, but it contains 56 capsules and defines one serving as two capsules with 1g DL185. Walmart shoppers get the same branded dileucine ingredient -- but at half the labeled serving dose, a good beginner spot to test out the novel peptide.

Before getting into the two versions and the updated research, check PricePlow for current Muscle Peptide 185 availability and sign up for MuscleTech alerts. Retail availability can change quickly, but the science section below is built to stay useful.

What Changed With Peptide 185?

MuscleTech Peptide Series uses targeted peptide technology instead of basic amino acids for 70-80% better absorption. Muscle Peptide 185 (dileucine) delivers 159% greater muscle protein synthesis vs baseline. Plus Creatine Peptide 447 & Recovery Peptide 144!

The original Peptide 185 launched as a standalone capsule product built around DL185 dileucine. MuscleTech later renamed it Muscle Peptide 185 and aligned the label with its broader MuscleTech Peptide Series, which now includes products aimed at muscle-building, creatine support, recovery, weight loss, and other performance goals.

The added word "Muscle" makes the product's purpose clearer, while the number 185 keeps the connection to the original ingredient story. The active ingredient remains DL185, also written as DL-185 in older MuscleTech material. DL185 is the branded form of L-leucyl-L-leucine monohydrate, or dileucine.

The updated bottle also shifts the visual language. MuscleTech now calls it a "Research-Grade Anabolic Peptide" and puts the "159% greater activation of muscle protein synthesis" claim on the front. The 159% number comes from an acute 2g dileucine study in ten young men, so note that it doesn't apply to the smaller Walmart serving.

Now let's get into the ingredient itself:

What Is Dileucine?

Dileucine is a dipeptide made by joining two leucine molecules with a peptide bond. The current ingredient name, DL185, refers to L-leucyl-L-leucine monohydrate. PricePlow covered the ingredient's commercial history in our DL185 dileucine guide when NNB Nutrition launched it.

Of course, this is a dietary peptide in capsule, oral form -- it isn't an injectable peptide, a hormone, or a peptide drug! The term "peptide" only describes a short chain of amino acids. A dipeptide contains two.

Leucine already has an established role in muscle biology. It helps activate mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), a pathway involved in starting the protein-translation process. In plain language, leucine helps signal that amino acids are available and that muscle cells can begin assembling new proteins.^[1]

That signal isn't the whole job. Your body still needs the other essential amino acids to build complete muscle proteins. Dileucine should be viewed as a targeted signal layered onto adequate protein intake, not as a protein replacement.

Dileucine also occurs in food-derived proteins. In the Paulussen study, researchers detected it in every animal and plant protein source they analyzed, with several dairy proteins among the higher sources (alongside mung bean as well). A 2g supplemental serving is much more concentrated than an ordinary protein serving.^[2]

Why Peptide Delivery Matters: The PepT1 Transporter

Free amino acids and small peptides don't rely on exactly the same intestinal transport routes. Small dipeptides can use peptide transport systems, including PepT1, while free leucine uses amino-acid transporters.^[2]

An early human study found that the constituent amino acids from two tested dipeptides were absorbed from the intestinal lumen faster than equivalent free amino acids. The authors also warned that different dipeptides can behave differently, so the result shouldn't be applied to every peptide without direct evidence.^[3]

Later research on protein hydrolysates showed that hydrolyzed proteins can raise plasma amino acids and selected dipeptides more quickly than intact proteins. That work detected BCAA-containing dipeptides such as Val-Leu and Ile-Leu after hydrolyzed protein ingestion, supporting the broader idea that food-derived peptides can reach circulation.^[4]

The direct DL185 evidence comes from Paulussen. After 2g dileucine, plasma dileucine exposure was greater than after 2g free leucine, showing that at least some dileucine reached circulation intact. Plasma leucine exposure was similar between conditions, and intramuscular leucine and dileucine concentrations didn't differ.^[2] The study therefore supports intact dileucine uptake.

Human DL185 Research

Three human projects now define the DL185 evidence base.

The studies each answer different questions:

• Paulussen tested acute muscle protein turnover at rest.
• Hagele tested ten weeks of training outcomes.
• Aguilera tested dileucine inside a larger EAA drink after a workout.

All great work and results, but they shouldn't be blended into one oversized claim. Let's dig deeper:

• 2021: Acute MPS At Rest

  The foundational trial used a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. Ten healthy, recreationally active young men completed two lab visits. On one visit they consumed 2g leucine. On the other visit, they consumed 2g dileucine. Because each participant received both conditions, every subject acted as his own comparison (this is the "crossover").^[2]

  Researchers carefully controlled the lead-in. Participants avoided strenuous exercise and alcohol for 72 hours, ate a standardized dinner the night before, arrived after an overnight fast, and consumed the assigned powder in water. The team collected repeated blood samples and four muscle biopsies while stable-isotope tracers measured myofibrillar protein synthesis and mixed-muscle protein breakdown.^[2]

  

  Compared to oral leucine supplementation, oral dileucine supplementation increased serum dileucine concentration more effectively.^[2]

  Both treatments raised plasma leucine, and total plasma leucine exposure didn't differ. Dileucine produced higher plasma dileucine exposure, confirming greater intact dileucine appearance in circulation. Both treatments also increased several signaling markers over time, including Akt, p70S6K, and rpS6, with no clear treatment advantage in those phosphorylation measurements.^[2]

  The primary outcome came from the direct protein-turnover measurement. Cumulative muscle protein synthesis over three hours increased after 2g dileucine but not after 2g leucine. The mean postprandial fractional synthetic rate was 0.075% per hour under dileucine and 0.047% per hour under leucine (this is where we get the "60% more anabolic than leucine" statement). Muscle protein breakdown did not significantly differ between conditions.^[2]

  This paper gives DL185 a solid acute proof of concept. Dileucine changed a directly measured muscle protein synthesis endpoint when the same mass of free leucine did not.

  

  Oral dileucine supplementation increased fractional synthesis rate (FSR). Post-hoc analysis revealed no statistical difference in fractional breakdown rate (FBR).^[2]

  It doesn't show that a capsule builds 60% more muscle, nor does it demonstrate long-term hypertrophy. Acute MPS studies measure a short metabolic response, and that's what we got here. Training, total protein intake, energy intake, recovery, and repeated exposure determine whether that signal contributes to more muscle over time.

  Reading The 159% Claim

  MuscleTech's front label says "159% greater activation of muscle protein synthesis". That line refers to the 2g dileucine condition's increase from its own baseline in the Paulussen trial. Note that it's a comparison with baseline, not a 159% advantage over leucine, and it describes actual fractional synthesis rate measured over several hours. It doesn't mean 159% more lean mass or visible muscle, though.^[2]

  This study also used the 2g dose, which would take four capsules of the Walmart version.

• 2024: Strength And Endurance

  The next question was obvious. If dileucine can change acute MPS, does taking it every day improve training results?

  Hagele and colleagues tested that in resistance-trained men, and we covered the publication separately in our DL185 strength-study article. Fifty-seven qualified participants began the project, and 34 completed all ten weeks. The final groups included 11 men taking 2g dileucine, 11 taking 2g leucine, and 12 taking resistant-starch placebo. All groups followed the same four-day-per-week resistance program.^[5]

  

  Groundbreaking research published in PLOS ONE demonstrates NNB Nutrition's DL185 dileucine boosts lower body strength more effectively than leucine. 2g daily improved leg press strength and muscular endurance in 10-week study. Science continues supporting this novel ingredient.

  The training moved from three sets of ten during the first six weeks to four sets of six during the final four weeks. Participants had at least one year of resistance-training experience and had to meet minimum bench-press and leg-press standards. This makes the trial more relevant to experienced supplement users than a study built around untrained beginners.

  On training days, subjects took their capsules within 60 minutes after exercise. On rest days, they took them with the first meal. Overall supplement and resistance-training compliance reached 97.6%.^[5]

  The strongest outcomes favored dileucine in the lower body. Leg-press 1RM increased by about 61kg in the dileucine group versus about 21kg with placebo, with the between-group comparison favoring dileucine (p = 0.02). Leg-press repetitions to failure rose by about 15 reps with dileucine versus about 5 with leucine, and that comparison also favored dileucine (p = 0.04). Total strength, calculated from bench press plus leg press, improved more with dileucine than placebo. Total repetitions, calculated from bench press plus leg press, improved more with dileucine than leucine.^[5]

  With that said, bench-press 1RM and bench-press repetitions improved over time across the study, but the groups didn't significantly differ.^[5]

  Note that only men participated in this study and workouts weren't directly supervised. With that all said, the result is still positive. The study moved dileucine beyond acute lab biology and found selected strength and endurance benefits in trained men consuming enough protein. It didn't show universal performance gains or added muscle mass.

• 2025: Dileucine With EAAs

  Covered as just a poster presentation in the original version of this article, this study is now published. It included twelve recreationally active adults (eight men and four women) who completed a randomized, double-blind, crossover study. Each participant performed a 60-minute whole-body resistance workout and then consumed each of three drinks on separate visits:^[6]

  

  1. DIEAA: 9.15g total EAAs, including 2g dileucine and 1g free leucine
  2. BCAA: 3g leucine, 1.5g isoleucine, and 1.5g valine
  3. COL: a nitrogen-matched collagen control with low essential-amino-acid content

  This was not a standalone Muscle Peptide 185 study. The DIEAA drink contained the 2g DL185 research dose plus free leucine and a full EAA profile.^[6]

  Researchers added a labeled leucine tracer and collected breath samples for six hours. They estimated how much ingested leucine was oxidized and how much was retained for whole-body protein synthesis. They also measured urinary 3-methylhistidine relative to creatinine as an indirect estimate of myofibrillar protein breakdown.

  Leucine retention was similar between DIEAA and BCAA, while both produced much greater leucine retention than collagen. The urinary muscle-breakdown estimate did not differ among conditions. Serum EAA, BCAA, and leucine concentrations were also similar between DIEAA and BCAA and higher than collagen.^[6]

  Stable-isotope protein synthesis showed a trend for an overall effect (p = 0.086). Pairwise effect sizes favored DIEAA over collagen and, to a lesser degree, BCAA, but the main statistical test did not reach the conventional p < 0.05 threshold.^[6]

  The Body Goes Out of Its Way to Make Dileucine

  What's interesting here is that BCAA ingestion (which contains zero dileucine) still raised serum dileucine concentrations in the study! This shows that the body is going out of its way to produce this peptide. Clearly, that means it's important, as mentioned to us a while back with Ralf Jaeger at the end of Episode #078. Adding dileucine thus keeps more leucine available for its own pool, and makes life just that much easier on the training body.

  

  Overall, the study still supports the use of leucine-containing amino acid products after training. Dileucine plus EAA retained more exogenous leucine than collagen, whose low EAA content makes it a weak post-workout option.

What The Research Shows

DL185 now has a better human evidence base than it did when Peptide 185 launched. The three studies also draw clear boundaries around the claims.

Strongest Supported Points

1. First, 2g dileucine can stimulate acute MPS more effectively than 2g free leucine at rest. Paulussen measured a significant cumulative MPS response after dileucine, while leucine didn't increase the same outcome. Muscle protein breakdown didn't differ.^[2]
2. Second, 2g daily dileucine may improve selected resistance-training outcomes. Hagele found better leg-press strength versus placebo and better leg-press endurance versus leucine after ten weeks in trained men.^[5]
3. The body spends time and energy making dileucine from leucine. The Aguilera trial tested dileucine inside a complete EAA blend. But wildly, ingesting leucine without dileucine still led to the endogenous formation of dileucine -- it's that important.^[6] We may only be scratching the surface as to why... there are likely more mechanisms at hand.

Two Bottles, Two Doses

The standard and Walmart versions both list 28 servings, but the similarities mostly end there.

This means the capsules aren't filled identically either. The standard product averages roughly 667mg DL185 per capsule, while the Walmart product provides 500mg per capsule.

Either way, this works well for FDM stores. DL185 is a specialized branded ingredient, and the original 2g product sits at the premium end of the price range. Reducing the serving to 1g gives a more accessible shelf version without removing the ingredient.

That creates a fair tradeoff for shoppers everywhere.

MuscleTech Creatine Peptide 447 made the jump to Walmart with 5g creatine monohydrate per 8g scoop and about 60 servings per tub. The peptide dose drops to 1g and L-theanine is gone.

MuscleTech used a similar retailer-specific strategy when it brought Creatine Peptide 447 to Walmart, although that product involved a broader formula change. Muscle Peptide 185 keeps the same named active ingredient and changes the serving dose, capsule count, and total active content.

Who Should Consider It?

Muscle Peptide 185 makes the most sense for experienced lifters who already have the basics covered. Training quality, sufficient calories, adequate protein, sleep, and creatine should come before a specialized amino acid peptide.

The standard 2g bottle has the closest match to current human evidence. The product may appeal to:

• Resistance-trained adults seeking an evidence-based add-on for strength and muscular endurance
• Lifters who already consume enough protein but want to test a targeted leucine-peptide signal
• Older guys like us who are throwing everything they can at the aging problem without getting into injections.

The evidence is thinner for women, older adults, and people using the ingredient during weight loss, but that's just because the research hasn't made it in that direction yet.

You Still Need Protein!

Muscle Peptide 185 also shouldn't replace a protein serving. The product supplies a signaling peptide, but it doesn't provide all essential amino acids needed to assemble new muscle proteins.

Raza Bashir of MuscleTech and Shawn Wells of Ingenious Ingredients join the PricePlow Podcast for Episode #123 to discuss the new dileucine ingredient in Peptide 185!

How To Use It

The directions call for using your servings with water after a workout or in the morning on non-training days. We recommend taking it sometime close to the workout, even if that means before, during, or after.

Protein Still Comes First

Taking DL185 around a protein-containing meal or post-workout shake also makes sense because dileucine supplies a signal, while protein supplies the broader amino acid pool. The Paulussen paper even cautioned that isolated leucine or dileucine isn't a substitute for complete protein.^[2]

Of course, healthy adults should read the full label and consult a healthcare professional when appropriate, especially during pregnancy, nursing, medication use, or management of a medical condition.

Listen To The Original Podcast

PricePlow recorded Episode #123 with Raza Bashir and Shawn Wells soon after the original Peptide 185 launch. The hour-long conversation remains the best origin story for the product.

Raza (who's now the CEO!) explains why MuscleTech chose a standalone dileucine capsule, while Shawn discusses the ingredient's development, the peptide-transport rationale, dose selection, and possible uses alongside protein, creatine, and other muscle-support products.

Some research discussed in the episode was preliminary at the time. The published Hagele paper later confirmed selected strength and endurance findings. Listen to the episode for development history, then use the updated sections above for the current evidence.

The Broader Peptide Series

Muscle Peptide 185 started as a single-product experiment. MuscleTech later built a wider Peptide Series around muscle-building, creatine delivery, recovery, metabolic support, and other targeted uses.

The move into Walmart is big news, since mass retail exposes peptide-based dietary supplements to shoppers who may associate the word "peptide" only with injectable drugs. That's obviously not the case though -- Muscle Peptide 185 is simpler than that. It contains a two-amino-acid dietary peptide in an oral capsule.

Conclusion: A Stronger DL185 Story

The Walmart story is big, but our original Peptide 185 article needed more than an update paragraph. The product is now Muscle Peptide 185, the packaging has changed, the peptide line has expanded, Walmart carries its own 1g serving.

We love to see the research continue to move forward, too: two major projects have moved from preliminary presentations to peer-reviewed papers. Note that the standard 84-capsule bottle remains the research-matched version. A 2g dose increased acute muscle protein synthesis more than an equal mass of leucine in young men at rest, and 2g daily improved selected lower-body strength and endurance outcomes during ten weeks of training.

That balance makes Muscle Peptide 185 more interesting than it was at launch, and we've enjoyed using it in capsule form. NNB Nutrition's working on masking the taste, but for now, Muscle Peptide 185 capsules is how you'll want to get it (open one up and taste if you're curious)! Use PricePlow to compare the serving sizes and retailer version before buying, and sign up for MuscleTech alerts as the Peptide Series continues to expand: