Episodes 1 to 6, AID Systems

Why this series exists

If you are on an automated insulin delivery system, or about to start one, you have probably already worked out that the device does part of the job and you do the rest. The algorithm adjusts insulin in the background, but it cannot see your meal before you log it, your run before you start it, or the difference one system makes against another. Most of the early frustration is not the technology failing; it is not yet knowing how this particular system thinks.

This series exists to close that gap. Across six episodes it works through how to choose the right AID system, how each of the four major systems available in the UK actually behaves, and the practical strategies that move time in range (3.9 to 10.0 mmol/L or 70 to 180 mg/dL). Whether you are new to AID or fine-tuning a system you already wear, the aim is the same: understand what the algorithm is doing, so you can work with it rather than against it.

In this series

The six episodes move from the choice itself, through each of the four major systems in turn, to a closing episode of cross-system strategies. The early episode compares the systems by character; the middle episodes go deep on one system each, covering how the algorithm works, which settings matter most, and how to handle exercise, high-fat meals, and hypoglycaemia prevention; the final episode gathers the most impactful adjustments from across all of them.

Each episode below carries its own listening link, a full written guide on the GNL site, and a PDF of the show notes and transcription. Open any episode to find them.

Key themes

Choosing by character, not by spec sheet

The opening episode compares the leading AID systems to superheroes, because the most useful starting question is rarely which has the longest feature list. It is which one suits the way you actually manage. Some people want control and customisation; some want the maximum algorithm strength against high glucose; some want strategic adaptability for a changing routine; some want sleek, tubeless automation that mostly stays out of the way. There is a system aligned with each of those approaches, and the choice gets easier once you know which one you are.

Same job, four different ways of doing it

The four systems in this series share a goal and reach it differently. The Tandem t:slim X2 with Control-IQ is the highly customisable option, built for flexibility and control. The Medtronic 780G is described as the highest algorithm strength system for tackling high glucose, with SmartGuard’s auto-correction working underneath. CamAPS FX offers customisable glucose targets and continuous algorithm learning, which suits people with fluctuating insulin needs, including those who are pregnant or highly active. The Omnipod 5 is the tubeless system, with fully automated adjustments through SmartAdjust technology. Each middle episode goes deep on one of them: how the algorithm works, which settings matter most, and how to handle exercise, high-fat meals, and hypoglycaemia prevention.

The strategies that travel across systems

The closing episode steps back from any single device and gathers the adjustments that help on all of them. Pre-bolusing, site rotation, and managing exercise and alcohol intake are the kind of changes that move time in range whichever system you wear, because they shape the inputs the algorithm has to work with. The detail differs by device, but the principle does not.

Practical exploration

For people living with type 1 diabetes and their families

If you are choosing a system or settling into a new one, the series gives you a way to ask better questions of your own care team.

• Before comparing feature lists, it is worth working out your own management style: whether you most value control and customisation, the strongest correction against highs, adaptability for a changing routine, or sleek tubeless automation. Episode 1 frames that choice.
• Each of the four systems behaves differently around exercise, high-fat meals, and hypoglycaemia prevention. The episode for your system is a good place to explore how it handles the situations you find hardest.
• The cross-system strategies in Episode 6, including pre-bolusing, site rotation, and managing exercise and alcohol intake, are worth exploring whichever system you wear, as they shape the data the algorithm acts on.
• The written guide and PDF transcription for each episode are there to revisit at the kitchen table, away from the appointment, when there is time to take it in.

For clinicians and educators

The series offers a shared vocabulary for the system-choice conversation and for onboarding people onto an unfamiliar algorithm.

• Framing the four systems by character (control, algorithm strength, adaptability, tubeless automation) can make the choosing conversation more concrete than a spec comparison, and Episode 1 models that approach.
• Each device-specific episode covers how the algorithm works and which settings matter most, which can support a consistent onboarding conversation across a team.
• The closing episode collects cross-system optimisation strategies that apply regardless of device, useful when a service supports several systems at once.

About this series

The Glucose Never Lies Podcast AID Series is a six-episode deep dive into automated insulin delivery systems and how to optimise their use. It is hosted by John Pemberton, with Anjanee Kohli as Director of Creativity. There is no single guest; the series works through the choice of system and the four major AID systems available in the UK, closing with cross-system strategies for improving time in range. To go further, the AID Systems Study Day gathers videos, case studies, and expert sessions on the same material.

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