About GNL
The Glucose Never Lies®
An independent, evidence-led diabetes education platform — translating complex science into clear, practical understanding for people with type 1 diabetes.
Before you read on
What GNL is — and what it is not
The Glucose Never Lies® is an independent educational platform — not a medical device, not a prescribing tool, and not a substitute for individualised clinical care.
Everything on this website, in the podcast, and within the interactive explorers is built for education and self-discovery. We translate the current evidence base — drawn from peer-reviewed clinical research and real-world data — into clear, practical resources that show what happens to the average person with type 1 diabetes under specific conditions. The goal is for you to compare those patterns against your own experience and use that understanding as a starting point for better conversations with your healthcare team.
This is information, not prescription. No content on this platform tells you what to do with your insulin, your device settings, or your diabetes management. Every person with type 1 diabetes is different, and what the evidence says on average may not reflect what happens to you individually.
For people with type 1 diabetes and their families
Use these resources to build your understanding, ask better questions, and walk into clinic appointments with a clearer picture of what the science says. Then work with your diabetes team to personalise that knowledge to your life, your body, and your goals.
For healthcare professionals
GNL content is designed to support your clinical practice, not replace your judgement. Use these resources as a starting point — a way to get to a better baseline faster — then apply your own clinical acumen to personalise care for the individual in front of you.
For industry, researchers, and collaborators
Every fact has a half-life. The diabetes evidence base moves rapidly, and what is live on this site today may not yet reflect the very latest findings. What we can guarantee is that we will never stop trying to close that gap.
How it started
Built for Jude — and for everyone like him
The Glucose Never Lies® began for one reason — to help others understand what was happening to Jude, John’s son, after he tested positive for type 1 diabetes antibodies.
Back in 2019, the goal was simple: make the science of diabetes clear and accessible for family, friends, and anyone who might one day support Jude. What started as a small website soon became a trusted voice explaining why glucose behaves the way it does and how evidence can guide real-world care.
As the audience grew, so did the ambition. The podcast took off, clinicians began sharing episodes for teaching, and GNL’s reach expanded far beyond its original circle.
By 2025, The Glucose Never Lies® had evolved into The Glucose Never Lies Ltd — an independent company with a creative team, scientific oversight, and a clear mission: to translate complex diabetes science into practical, evidence-based insight that genuinely helps people.
Truth. Clarity. Science that makes a difference.
Every podcast episode, post, and collaboration goes through scientific review to ensure the information is accurate, current, and free from bias — while still creative, human, and accessible.
Real-world validation
Validated at a scale no other education platform can match
Every GNL Explorer algorithm has been systematically tested against real-world population data accessed through an academic research collaboration — one of the largest real-world T1D datasets ever used to validate an educational platform outside a pharmaceutical or device manufacturer setting.
The GNL research collaboration has produced 17 algorithm assumptions tested: 13 confirmed, 4 refined, and 17 “Via Negativa” reversals — findings that directly contradict common guidelines and now shape how the explorers frame their outputs.
Population-average findings only. Individual responses vary. Every output is for education and discussion with your diabetes care team.
The GNL Team
The people behind the platform
Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Specialist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and founder of The Glucose Never Lies Ltd.
John leads GNL’s educational direction — driven by an ADHD brain that operates at a different speed and sees the world differently from most. That unique way of thinking has become GNL’s creative engine: fast, intuitive, and unafraid to challenge convention.
He has authored more than 30 scientific publications focused on CGM standardisation, exercise, diabetes education, nutrition, and technology translation. He has also written openly about some of his more challenging personal experiences and shared them for anyone who has faced similar difficulties.
Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Specialist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, where she works alongside John. Regional Peer Support Lead for Paediatric Type 2 Diabetes and active contributor to the British Dietetic Association.
Her expertise lies in digital communication, cultural competence, and visual storytelling — blending science with design to make complex ideas simple, human, and impactful. She is the creative architect at GNL, ensuring every message captures attention and stands firmly on scientific ground.
Through her own platform Nutrition With Anjanee, she has developed a distinctive style that bridges nutrition, education, and creativity.
Phillip is John’s best man and closest friend of more than two decades — and the lead developer who turned the idea of interactive T1D education into working tools.
Phillip designed and built the GNL Explorers: six interactive calculators that let you put in your own numbers and see what the evidence says should happen — then compare it against your CGM. He also built the Laravel API backend that powers all of the explorer calculation engines, moving the entire platform from browser-side to server-side computation.
In 2004, John smashed his degree with 80% and a distinction. Phillip took that as a challenge and sneaked home with 82% — a margin that resurfaces every time they go running together, with Phillip reliably two steps ahead. Except on the badminton court.
A Certified Exercise Physiologist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist at Stanford University. Dessi’s research focuses on exercise and glucose regulation in type 1 diabetes. She leads the 4T Exercise Study, supported by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, and integrates wearable-activity and CGM data within Stanford’s TIDE platform.
Dessi completed her PhD and MSc at York University, Toronto under Dr Michael Riddell, and has authored 100 peer-reviewed papers. She has lived with type 1 diabetes for over 27 years, competed internationally for Team Canada in taekwondo (bronze medallist at the 2013 World Championships), and holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Together with Professor Othmar Moser, Dessi was lead author of the international consensus statement on Exercise and Automated Insulin Delivery.
Full Professor of Exercise Physiology and Training Therapy at the Medical University of Graz (Austria), where he leads the Outpatient Clinic for Diabetes, Physical Activity and Exercise. He chairs the Working Group on Diabetes, Physical Activity and Exercise within the German Diabetes Association.
A former professional cyclist, Othmar was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2008 — an experience that reshaped his career and fuelled his commitment to advancing exercise science and diabetes care. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed papers.
He works closely with John on the drive to achieve global standardisation of CGM devices, so that a 70% Time-in-Range truly means the same thing for everyone with diabetes.
NIHR Advanced Fellow and Associate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the Centre for Obesity Research, University College London. He co-leads the MSc Dietetics (Pre-Registration) programme and has over 19 years of clinical experience.
With a PhD in Medicine from Imperial College London, Adrian’s work focuses on obesity, type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery, weight stigma, and food insecurity. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, including studies in Nature Medicine and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
He chairs the Specialist Obesity Group of the British Dietetic Association, serves on the Board of Trustees for the Academy of Nutrition Science, and acts as Associate Editor for Clinical Obesity.
Governance
Scientific and creative governance
The Glucose Never Lies Ltd operates through a dual-advisory model, merging creative communication with scientific precision. Since October 2025, John Pemberton and Anjanee Kohli have jointly developed GNL’s content plans and strategic direction — combining clinical insight, creative energy, and evidence-based storytelling.
Regular advisory meetings with Professor Dessi Zaharieva, Professor Othmar Moser, and Dr Adrian Brown challenge, mould, and shape the direction of the work. They provide independent critique and ensure every GNL output is:
- Evidence-based and peer-aligned — grounded in the latest research
- Transparent and independent — free from commercial influence
- Creative and engaging — turning complex science into accessible, meaningful communication
Independence and transparency
Disclosures
To make this work possible, The Glucose Never Lies Ltd receives unrestricted educational grants from diabetes technology manufacturers. “Unrestricted” means funders have no input, review, or influence over what we produce. We retain full editorial control and base all content on peer-reviewed scientific evidence.
We acknowledge that unconscious bias is always possible. Between 2011 and 2015, John worked for Medtronic Diabetes in sales, education, and marketing — an experience that reinforced his belief in the importance of independence and scientific distance.
- John Pemberton has received honoraria, consultancy and advisory board payments from: Abbott Diabetes Care, Dexcom, Insulet, Roche Diabetes Care, and Tandem Diabetes Care.
- Anjanee Kohli has nothing to declare.
- Professor Dessi P. Zaharieva has received honoraria for speaking from Ascensia Diabetes Care, Insulet Canada, Dexcom Canada and Medtronic; is on an advisory board for Dexcom and the Diabetes Research Hub.
- Professor Othmar Moser has research collaborations and received personal payments from: Abbott, Dexcom, Medtronic, Insulet, Roche, and Ypsomed.
- Dr Adrian Brown has received personal payments from Novo Nordisk, Office of Health Improvement and Disparity, Johnson and Johnson and Obesity UK; is on the Medical Advisory Board and shareholder of Reset Health Clinics Ltd.
Legal and data
Company information
The Glucose Never Lies Ltd
Registered in the United Kingdom
Company No. 16733595
Insurance
Media and Professional Indemnity Insurance with CFC Underwriting Ltd, via JM Glendinning. Full policy details available on request via john@theglucoseneverlies.com
Data Protection
We are fully GDPR-compliant. Our privacy policy and terms explain how we manage personal data responsibly.
Contact and connect
Get in touch
We welcome opportunities for consultancy, educational projects, speaking engagements, and content development.
We invite everyone who reads, listens, or learns with us to judge our work by its accuracy, transparency, and value to the diabetes community. That is what The Glucose Never Lies® stands for — and always will.