Paul Smaglik | Oct 12, 1997 | 8 min read
Nutritionists once associated low levels of folic acid-a B vitamin found in fruits and leafy green vegetables-primarily with birth defects. But in recent years, epidemiological studies have established more correlations between folate deficiency and heart disease, cancer, and brain damage. Now, researchers are discovering mechanisms that may explain how folate deficiency contributes to these health problems. BRAIN CONNECTION: Berkeley's Bruce Ames thinks chromosome breaks caused by folate defi