Hi xrayspex.
I tried a low-lectin diet along with taking lectin binders like NAG a while ago, based on Dr Gundry's recommendations. But in my case it did not help (although I only did the diet for 2 months, and Dr Gundry says you need to do it for longer to see benefits on your illnesses).
I've forgotten most of the details, but looking at my notes it says:
[Take
N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG) with
potatoes,
rice,
tomatoes,
barely and
rye, as these foods contain chitin-binding lectins,
1 which bind to glucosamine. (got dropped from my quote)]
NAG also binds to and neutralizes the dietary lectin wheat germ agglutinin, which is found in wheat products. However, I don't think the anti-anxiety benefits I get from NAG come from its lectin-neutralizing action, because I usually take NAG on an empty stomach, away from any meals (if you take NAG with meals, some of it may be lost due to binding with dietary lectins, so for that reason it is advised to take NAG on an empty stomach, unless you are specifically using NAG for its lectin-binding actions).
When I first accidentally discovered the anti-anxiety effects of NAG, and starting taking around 3 x 700 mg daily, I noticed it would cause some mild depression in me too. So I reduced the dose to 1 x 700 mg, and the depression side effect more or less disappeared, but the anti-anxiety effect still worked.
So you can consider reducing the dose, and seeing if that works for you.
I know these are very old posts, but still wanted to see if replying goes anywhere. I very specifically study Gundry's diet methods (out of necessity).
I would have an inflammatory response to any of "potatoes, rice, tomatoes, barely and rye". I take a Gundry supplement ("Lectin Shield") occasionally that contains "N-Acetyl D-Glucosamine" (don't know if the "D-" is significant).
But this is only in a context of virtually completely obeying the elimination (restrictions) part of the Gundry diet method, and then take that supplement when I wind up eating minor amounts of the items with lectins. It seems to work reasonably well in that context, in that it reduces or shortens the duration my symptoms perhaps by half or better depending on what I ate and how much.
Even though Gundry's supplement advertising suggests use like you discuss, my opinion is that one with leaky gut must follow the elimination part of the diet almost perfectly and only use the supplements to improve after small deviations on the elimination of foods with lectins. (Like going to a restaurant and getting a sandwich.)
A side note: The grains, barley, rye, and even wheat varieties can only be handled by elimination and a bit of reduction by supplementation as discussed. However potatoes, rice, and tomatoes' lectins can be mitigated by pressure cooking. I personally have varied response to pressure cooking these items. I can tolerate most white (e.g. nightshade) potatoes quite well if pressure cooked, and rice pretty well also pressure cooked. Tomatoes in very small quantities especially deseeding and removing skins like common in Italian cooking can be tolerated, the pressure cooking of tomatoes doesn't seem to work well for me personally.
I don't think that using these supplements will produce a significantly positive result for anyone with leaky gut (high gut permeability) unless combined with elimination of almost all the lectins and similar compounds. Then such supplements can help mitigate the last vestiges of these compounds in the diet to allow a bit more variety when done carefully, but should not be used as the primary treatment.
My main point about trying the Gundry diet method is the almost completely rigorous adherence to the elimination or "no" lists, as even one or two slipping through can raise inflammation near the levels before trying the method. It is hard to do so and many people fail to get results that sill may be possible because they don't actually get all the lectins out of their diet. I agree that results get better over months, but one should see some improvement in inflammation in a short time period if actually getting all the lectins out.
There is a "phase 1" diet step in the books that is extremely restricted. If you can tolerate that it will almost guarantee that there are no lectins, and this phase lets some of the bad actors in the gut microbiota phase out.
Another interesting aspect is that gut microbes that eat lectins like gluten can die out if not "fed". So a person who has some leaky gut might be able to eat some white bread (without dough conditioners or whole grain) without symptoms, if having relatively often in small quantity. But then stopping cold for a while the gut microbes that eat the lectin die out, and resuming the food will produce a spike in inflammation even at the same quantity as before, until the mitigating gut microbe population is rebuilt.
