About GNL

The Glucose Never Lies®

An independent, evidence led diabetes education platform translating complex science into clear, practical understanding for people living with type 1 diabetes.

How it started

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 aim 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 gradually became a trusted educational platform. Clinicians began sharing episodes for teaching, the podcast grew, and the audience expanded well 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.

Education Science Independence

The mission

Truth. Clarity. Science that makes a difference.

GNL exists to make diabetes physiology, technology, and decision making easier to understand without diluting the science.

Every podcast episode, post, guide, and collaboration is designed to be accurate, current, practical, and accessible.

The goal is not just to explain diabetes better. It is to help people use that understanding in real life.

How this platform works

GNL is an educational platform built for people living with type 1 diabetes, their families, healthcare professionals, and researchers.

The guides, explorers, and podcast content are designed to help people understand the physiology of type 1 diabetes and what the current evidence says about how it can be managed.

The GNL Explorers are built from clinical trial data, real world population studies, and established physiological principles. They show the average response across a well characterised population.

Averages are useful, but they are not the individual.

Some people respond more strongly than average and some less. That is not a flaw in the tools. It is a reflection of real biological variation.

This is why individualised advice from a team that knows you, your history, your circumstances, and your capacity can never be replaced by a population level model.

The GNL Explorers are not a prescription service and they are not a substitute for your diabetes care team. They are a framework for learning, exploration, and better discussion.

We hope GNL becomes a bridge to stronger clinical conversations, not a replacement for them.

People

The GNL Team

The people shaping the educational, scientific, creative, and technical direction of The Glucose Never Lies®.

John Pemberton, Founder and Director of The Glucose Never Lies

Founder & Director

John Pemberton, BSc, PgDip, RD

John is a Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Specialist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and founder of The Glucose Never Lies Ltd.

He leads GNL’s educational direction, bringing together research, clinical practice, and real world diabetes decision making.

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 own challenges and shared those experiences here.

Anjanee Kohli, Co Director of The Glucose Never Lies

Co Director, Creative & Social Media Lead

Anjanee Kohli, BSc, MSc, RD

Anjanee is a Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Specialist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, where she works alongside John.

Her strengths lie in digital communication, cultural competence, and visual storytelling. She helps turn complex science into content that is clear, human, and engaging.

Through GNL and Nutrition With Anjanee, she has developed a distinctive style that bridges nutrition, education, and creativity.

Phil Hayes, Lead Developer at The Glucose Never Lies

Lead Developer

Phil Hayes

Phil is the lead developer behind every GNL interactive explorer.

His contribution to GNL was not technical first. It was conceptual. Coming from outside the clinical world, he asked the questions that helped simplify complex systems into understandable models.

His framework focused on four essential elements: food, insulin, movement and activity, and glucose measurement with rate of change.

More good educational tools mean better understanding for more people living with diabetes. If you are working on a project that needs this kind of thinking and development, contact John and the proposal can be passed on.

Dr Dessi P. Zaharieva, Scientific Advisor to The Glucose Never Lies

Scientific Advisor

Dr Dessi P. Zaharieva, PhD, MSc, BKin, CEP, CDCES

Dessi is a Certified Exercise Physiologist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist whose research focuses on exercise and glucose regulation in type 1 diabetes.

She leads the 4T Exercise Study, integrates wearable activity and CGM data into clinical research, and has authored more than 100 peer reviewed papers.

She also lives with type 1 diabetes and brings lived experience alongside scientific expertise.

Stanford profile | ResearchGate

Professor Othmar Moser, Scientific Advisor to The Glucose Never Lies

Scientific Advisor

Professor Othmar Moser, PhD, MSc, Mag.

Othmar is Full Professor of Exercise Physiology and Training Therapy at the Medical University of Graz, where he leads the Outpatient Clinic for Diabetes, Physical Activity and Exercise.

He is widely recognised for his work in exercise metabolism, CGM performance, and diabetes technology, and has authored more than 150 peer reviewed papers.

He works closely with John in the push for global standardisation of CGM devices so that glycaemic metrics mean the same thing across systems.

ResearchGate | LinkedIn

Dr Adrian Brown, Scientific Advisor to The Glucose Never Lies

Scientific Advisor

Dr Adrian Brown, PhD, MSc, BSc, RD

Adrian is an NIHR Advanced Fellow and Associate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at University College London.

His work focuses on obesity, type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery, weight stigma, food insecurity, and sustainability in dietetic practice.

He brings deep expertise in nutrition science, public health policy, and evidence based communication to GNL.

UCL Profile | ResearchGate

Scientific and creative governance

The Glucose Never Lies Ltd operates through a dual advisory model that combines 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, creativity, and evidence based storytelling.

Regular advisory input from Dr Dessi Zaharieva, Professor Othmar Moser, and Dr Adrian Brown provides independent critique and helps ensure that GNL remains:

  • Evidence based and aligned with current science
  • Transparent and independent
  • Creative, engaging, and useful in real life

Independence and transparency

To make its work possible, The Glucose Never Lies Ltd receives unrestricted educational grants from diabetes technology manufacturers.

Unrestricted means funders have no editorial input, no review rights, and no influence over what is produced. GNL retains full editorial control and bases its content on peer reviewed evidence.

GNL also recognises that unconscious bias is always possible and believes transparency matters more than pretending otherwise.

  • 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.
  • Dr Dessi P. Zaharieva has received honoraria for speaking engagements from Ascensia Diabetes Care, Insulet Canada, Dexcom Canada, and Medtronic, and serves on advisory boards for Dexcom and the Diabetes Research Hub.
  • Professor Othmar Moser has research collaborations and has 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 Disparities, Johnson and Johnson, and Obesity UK outside the submitted work, and is on the Medical Advisory Board and shareholder of Reset Health Clinics Ltd.

GNL Disclaimer

Please read this before using any GNL tool, guide, or explorer.

GNL is designed to be used with your healthcare professional, not instead of them.

Every guide, explorer, and resource on this platform is built to help you explore the best evidence available alongside your diabetes care team.

Using this platform does not create a therapeutic relationship between you and The Glucose Never Lies Ltd, its team, or its scientific advisors. GNL is an independent educational publisher. It does not provide medical care, clinical assessments, or individual advice.

What GNL content is

  • Educational material built from peer reviewed clinical data, published guidelines, and population level research
  • A framework for understanding average physiological responses and the direction of change
  • A starting point for informed discussion with your diabetes care team

What GNL content is not

  • Medical advice for any individual
  • A medical device or regulated medical software
  • A substitute for personalised clinical guidance from the professionals who know you

Average outputs from population level models will not perfectly fit most individuals. Your CGM data is real world feedback. Your diabetes care team holds the clinical knowledge of your circumstances. Both remain essential.

Any changes to insulin settings, device configuration, or diabetes management should be made with your diabetes care team, not on the basis of a GNL output alone.

This platform is covered by Media and Professional Indemnity Insurance with CFC Underwriting Ltd, via JM Glendinning. Full policy details are available on request via john@theglucoseneverlies.com.

Contact

We welcome consultancy, educational projects, speaking engagements, and content development aligned with our mission to make diabetes science understandable, engaging, and evidence driven.

Legal and data

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 are available on request via john@theglucoseneverlies.com

Data Protection

We are fully GDPR compliant. Read our Privacy & GDPR Policy.

GNL Explorer Registration

When you access a GNL Explorer, we collect your name, email address, and professional role. This information is stored securely and used only to understand how GNL tools are being used and to notify you when new explorers become available. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting john@theglucoseneverlies.com. We do not share your data with third parties. If you opt in, your email address is added to the GNL mailing list managed via Mailchimp, subject to our full Privacy & GDPR Policy.

Support GNL to remain independent

The Glucose Never Lies® is an independent educational platform.

If you would like to help support high quality, evidence based content, you can support GNL via Buy Me a Coffee.

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