People’s love of processed foods might be one reason for the blatant increase in food allergies in the past few decades, a new study suggests. Looking at a group of children ages 6 to 12, researchers from the University of Naples Federico II found that kids who had food allergies had higher levels of a compound associated with highly processed “junk” foods under their skin than kids with respiratory allergies or no allergies. The potential culprits are called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs. Glycation is what happens when a sugar molecule binds to a protein or fat under heat. This is what happens when you sear a steak to get a nice brown crust or fry a potato in oil. In other words, they’re great for flavor, but not all that good for you. And highly processed foods tend to contain higher levels of AGEs. The existence of higher levels of AGEs among children with allergies might suggest a “missing link” in existing models of food allergies, according to Dr. Roberto Berni Canani, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Naples university and lead study investigator.

Another expert says the link may indeed be there, but other factors also contribute. “Prior studies hypothesized that dietary sources of AGEs — commonly found in Western diets — may contribute to the increasing prevalence of food allergies. However, there are multiple contributors to the rising allergy incidence, and it’s important that we understand all of the ways that our environment has shaped food allergy susceptibility,” Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, MBE, FAAP, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital and chief medical officer of Before Brands, told Healthline. “Processed foods may lack protein diversity, for example, but more research needs to be conducted to understand the exact role AGEs play in the development of food allergies.”