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How Much Do You Know About Chocolate and Your Health?

Test yourself on health benefits and history of chocolate

Elizabeth Agnvall,

AARP

En español

Published April 12, 2023

8 Questions

5d3e945c-a736-46a9-8fe9-cafb5886c117

How Much Do You Know About Chocolate and Your Health?

[ {
  "question" : "Studies have found which of these potential benefits from dark chocolate?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Prevents bone loss in those at risk for osteoporosis",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Improved blood vessel flexibility in those with high blood pressure",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Lower risk for prostate cancer",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Helped prevent arthritis from worsening",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "In one study, people with high blood pressure who ate chocolate bars containing 70 percent cacao showed improved blood vessel flexibility.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which culture considered chocolate the “food of the gods” in ancient times?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "The Vikings",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "The ancient Greeks",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "The Mayans",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Egyptians in the time of the Pharaohs",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The Maya were likely the first people in South America to cultivate the cocoa plant.  ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What amount of cocoa do experts recommend in a chocolate bar to reap its health benefits?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "At least 30 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "At least 10 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "At least 70 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "At least 20 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Bars with higher percentage of cocoa have higher heart healthy antioxidants and flavanols.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "When did cocoa first come to Europe?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "The cocoa bean is native to Europe and people understood its medicinal powers in the Stone Age",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "The Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés brough samples to King Charles of Spain",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Christopher Columbus brought it to back to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "French explorer Jacques Cartier brought it as a gift to Francis I of France",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Cocoa appeared in Europe in 1528 when Cortés brought samples of cocoa to his king, according to Italian researchers.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "The cocoa bean, from which chocolate is made, is high in which of these heart-health nutrients?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Omega 3 fatty acids",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Vitamins B6 and B 12",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Flavanols and antioxidants",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Magnesium",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The cocao bean is high in heart-healthy flavanols and antioxidants. It also contains theobromine and caffeine, which gives chocolate a mildly stimulating effect.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What defines a bar as dark chocolate?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "It has more sugar than milk chocolate",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "It contains at least 50 percent cocoa",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "It has chocolate milk in the ingredients",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "It’s up to the manufacturer to decide",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Dark chocolate also has a more pronounced chocolate flavor. ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What percentage of cocoa does white chocolate contain?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "None",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "2.5 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "5 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "10 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "White chocolate is essentially sugar, milk solids and cocoa butter. ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Who gave the cocoa plant its Latin name?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Charles Darwin named it Delectamentum cocao after tasting it in South America",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus named the cocoa plant Theobroma cacao",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Italian scientist and botanist Andrea Cesalpino named it Tebebris cacao",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "German naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humbolt named it Addictus cacao",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "In 1753, Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus created the Latin name, which means food of the gods and the Aztec word for bitter water.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Elizabeth Agnvall is the health and healthy living editor at AARP.org. She has worked as editor of Staying Sharp, AARP’s brain health platform and as a health editor at the AARP Bulletin. She also wrote for the Washington Post health section.