diff --git a/src/file-processor/app/services/document_service.py b/src/file-processor/app/services/document_service.py
index f19e73d..62792bb 100644
--- a/src/file-processor/app/services/document_service.py
+++ b/src/file-processor/app/services/document_service.py
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ class DocumentService:
         PyMongoError: If database operation fails
     """
     # Calculate automatic attributes
-    file_bytes = file_bytes or self._read_file_bytes(file_path)
+    file_bytes = file_bytes if file_bytes is not None else self._read_file_bytes(file_path)
     file_hash = self._calculate_file_hash(file_bytes)
     file_type = self._detect_file_type(file_path)
     mime_type = self._detect_mime_type(file_bytes)