The Glucose Never Lies®

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 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.

The shift from project to company brought structure and governance. Every podcast episode, post, and collaboration now goes through scientific review to ensure the information is accurate, current, and free from bias, while still creative, human, and accessible.

Listen to the Podcast

Over 34 episodes covering the science, technology, and lived experience of type 1 diabetes. Hear from world-leading researchers, clinicians, and people living with the condition every day.

The Glucose Never Lies® Team

It was no longer possible for John to do it alone, so the GNL team grew. A mix of clinicians, researchers, and creators united by science, storytelling, and lived experience.

John Pemberton, BSc, PgDip, RD

Founder and Director

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, driving it with a mix of skill, charisma, and relentless energy, powered 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. His work bridges research and reality, ensuring that GNL remains both clinically credible and personally relevant, translating science into understanding that genuinely improves lives.

John is not immune to the difficulties of living with type 1 diabetes. He also lives with ADHD and a functional movement disorder. He has written openly about some of his more challenging experiences and shared them for anyone who has faced similar difficulties.

Anjanee Kohli, BSc, MSc, RD

Co-Director, Creative and Social Media Lead

Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Specialist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, where she works alongside John. Anjanee is also the Regional Peer Support Lead for Paediatric Type 2 Diabetes and an active contributor to the British Dietetic Association and its Diabetes Specialist Group.

Her expertise lies in digital communication, cultural competence, and visual storytelling, blending science with design to make complex ideas simple, human, and impactful. A creative force with a strong evidence base, she channels John’s energy and curiosity into focused, visually striking, and scientifically grounded content that resonates across social and professional audiences.

Through her work on social media and her own platform, Nutrition With Anjanee, she has developed a distinctive style that bridges nutrition, education, and creativity. Within GNL, she is the creative architect, ensuring that every message not only captures attention but also stands firmly on scientific ground.

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

Scientific Advisor to the GNL

A Certified Exercise Physiologist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, 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 to improve clinical care.

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. Her personal experience drives her commitment to helping others manage diabetes with confidence and resilience.

Together with Professor Othmar Moser, Dessi was lead author of the international consensus statement on Exercise and Automated Insulin Delivery, a foundational document shaping how technology and activity are safely combined worldwide.

Stanford profile → | ResearchGate →

Professor Othmar Moser, PhD, MSc, Mag.

Scientific Advisor to the GNL

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 and is widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading experts on exercise metabolism, CGM performance, and diabetes technology.

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 in 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, regardless of the system they use.

ResearchGate → | LinkedIn →

Dr Adrian Brown, PhD, MSc, BSc, RD

Scientific Advisor to the GNL

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 programme and teaches across UCL’s postgraduate and undergraduate nutrition degrees.

With over 19 years of clinical experience and a PhD in Medicine from Imperial College London, Adrian’s work focuses on obesity, type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery, weight stigma, food insecurity, and sustainability in dietetic practice. His current NIHR Advanced Fellowship investigates weight-loss interventions for people living with obesity and kidney failure awaiting transplantation.

He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, including studies in Nature Medicine, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism. His recent collaborative paper with John Pemberton explored how CGM accuracy-study methodology can be applied to people without diabetes.

Dr Brown chairs the Specialist Obesity Group of the British Dietetic Association, serves on the Board of Trustees for the Academy of Nutrition Science, and is an Honorary Academic for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. He sits on the Scientific Council of the British Nutrition Foundation, the Strategic Council for the APPG on Obesity, and acts as Associate Editor for Clinical Obesity and editor of the Manual of Dietetic Practice.

Through his dual academic and clinical roles, Adrian brings to GNL deep expertise in nutrition science, public health policy, and communication, strengthening the platform’s commitment to evidence-based, interdisciplinary education.

UCL Profile → | ResearchGate →

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 Dr Dessi Zaharieva, Professor Othmar Moser, and Dr Adrian Brown, all non-executive, non-statutory scientific advisors, challenge, mould, and shape the direction of the work. They provide independent critique and ensure that 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

This model ensures GNL continues to stand for what its name promises: truth, clarity, and the belief that good science, told well, can change lives.

Independence and Transparency

To make our work possible, The Glucose Never Lies Ltd receives unrestricted educational grants from diabetes technology manufacturers. “Unrestricted” means that 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. Familiarity with specific technologies, and occasional payments for speaking, advisory, or consultancy work, may influence perspective.

Between 2011 and 2015, John worked for Medtronic Diabetes in sales, education, and marketing. This background provided valuable insight into how diabetes technology develops, reaches clinics, and is communicated to healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes. That experience reinforced John’s belief that if diabetes technology is to grow quickly, safely, and intelligently, it must be built on close collaboration between industry, clinicians, and people with diabetes, but also on independence, candour, and scientific distance.

For transparency, the following declarations apply:

• 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; 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 outside the submitted work; is on the Medical Advisory Board and a shareholder of Reset Health Clinics Ltd.