Claire McDonnell Liu
Claire McDonnell Liu is a recognised leader in metabolic health, evidence-based nutrition, and professional education. She serves as the Executive Director of the Australasian Metabolic Health Society (AMHS), where she leads the organisation’s strategic vision, operations, and stakeholder engagement to prioritise metabolic health as a clinical and public health focus across Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific region.
She leads education, advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional development for clinicians and allied health professionals working with metabolic disease. Under her leadership AMHS trains and supports health practitioners to build competence in nutritional therapies, including therapeutic low-carbohydrate and ketogenic approaches, and delivers resources, courses, and events that translate complex science into practical clinical applications.
Claire also engages in podcast hosting, writing, and public advocacy on metabolic health and nutrition science, sharing insights on insulin resistance, food policy, chronic disease prevention, and therapeutic nutrition approaches.
AMHS CEO statements
Real food is back!
- Publication: AMHS (amhs.org.au/news/real-food-is-back/)
- Date: January 2026
- Summary: Claire’s CEO statement welcoming the release of the US 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines and their shift towards real, nutrient-dense whole foods, higher protein and healthy fats, and reduced ultra-processed intake. It argues that Australia’s own dietary guidelines, currently under review, should follow the evidence to better support metabolic health and chronic disease prevention.
AMHS statement on the release of the 2025-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines
- Publication: AMHS press release (amhs.org.au/press-release/statement-2025-2030-us-dietary-guidelines/)
- Date: January 2026
- Summary: AMHS’s formal response to the new US guidelines, noting the emphasis on nutrient-dense whole foods and reduced ultra-processed intake, and the explicit acknowledgement that people with chronic disease may benefit from lower carbohydrate intake. It calls for Australia’s guidelines under review to reflect current metabolic health evidence. Related AMHS commentary on this topic was co-attributed to Claire McDonnell with James Muecke AM and Dr Penny Figtree.
AMHS responds to South Australia’s Live Lighter campaign
- Publication: AMHS (amhs.org.au/news/amhs-response-live-lighter-sa/)
- Date: July 2025
- Summary: AMHS’s open letter to South Australia’s health leaders calling for a review of the LiveLighter SA “toxic fat” obesity campaign, raising concerns that its framing, tone and nutritional messaging reflect outdated advice and could cause unintended harm.
‘Outdated’ and ‘dangerous’: New obesity campaign slammed
- Publication: InDaily (Inside South Australia)
- Date: 11 July 2025
- Summary: InDaily’s coverage of the AMHS open letter to South Australia’s health leaders, which called for a review of the LiveLighter SA “toxic fat” obesity campaign. AMHS raised concerns that the campaign’s framing, tone and nutritional messaging reflect outdated advice and could cause serious unintended harm, and the piece notes the campaign is a Preventive Health SA, Cancer Council SA and SAHMRI collaboration. It also carries Preventive Health SA’s response, with CEO Marina Bowshall defending the campaign as effective and evidence-based, drawing on peer-reviewed studies and an independent SAHMRI evaluation, and offering to meet the letter’s signatories.
LCDU articles
Real Food is Back
- Publication: Low Carb Down Under (lowcarbdownunder.com.au/news/real-food-is-back/)
- Date: January 2026
- Summary: An editorial welcoming the US 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines’ return to real, whole foods, noting the guidelines now recognise that people with chronic disease may benefit from reducing carbohydrate intake. It frames this as validation of more than a decade of LCDU advocacy and a prompt for Australia to fast-track its overdue guideline review so families, schools and care facilities benefit from science-aligned guidance.
Dr David Unwin Takes Metabolic Health Mainstream
- Publication: Low Carb Down Under (lowcarbdownunder.com.au/news/dr-david-unwin-takes-metabolic-health-mainstream/)
- Date: 2 June 2026
- Summary: Claire’s piece marking Dr David Unwin’s recent appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast, where he introduced a very large mainstream audience to insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction and the role of nutrition in chronic disease. It traces his decade of work in UK general practice challenging assumptions about type 2 diabetes management, frames the podcast appearance as a sign that metabolic health is moving into mainstream conversation, and promotes two upcoming appearances: his AMHS Grand Round on Wednesday 29 July 2026, and his keynote at the Low Carb Down Under Conference in Parramatta, Sydney (16 to 18 October 2026).
Keto Brain Health
- Publication: Low Carb Down Under (lowcarbdownunder.com.au/news/keto-brain-health/)
- Date: September 2025
- Summary: A preview of the ketogenic and metabolic psychiatry research featured at Low Carb Brisbane 2025, spanning neurological and mental health conditions. It highlights presenters including Dr Matthew Phillips and Jaymee-Leigh Swift, the first public findings from the James Cook University (Townsville) randomised trial of a ketogenic diet in serious psychiatric conditions, and JCU’s new Margaret Roderick Centre for Mental Health Research.
Metabolic Health Food Pyramid
- Publication: Low Carb Down Under (lowcarbdownunder.com.au/news/metabolic-health-food-pyramid/)
- Date: March 2025
- Summary: Covers the 2025 Nutrients paper “Myths and Facts Regarding Low-Carbohydrate Diets,” which introduces the first peer-reviewed low-carb/keto food pyramid. It addresses common criticisms around nutrient adequacy, heart disease risk and mortality claims, and presents the pyramid as an evidence-based nutritional option for people managing type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity and related conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Medical review by Dr Rod Tayler.