diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/CompactionManager.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/CompactionManager.java
index 723663dad1..b84be781fe 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/CompactionManager.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/CompactionManager.java
@@ -1122,7 +1122,7 @@ public class CompactionManager implements CompactionManagerMBean
 
         public void write(PageCacheInformer out) throws IOException
         {
-            assert row.dataSize != 0;
+            assert row.dataSize > 0;
             out.writeLong(row.dataSize);
             row.echoData(out);
         }
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/LazilyCompactedRow.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/LazilyCompactedRow.java
index 3e48d38a70..8c26b772c1 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/LazilyCompactedRow.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/LazilyCompactedRow.java
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ public class LazilyCompactedRow extends AbstractCompactedRow implements IIterabl
         if (rows.size() == 1 && !shouldPurge && rows.get(0).sstable.descriptor.isLatestVersion && !forceDeserialize)
         {
             SSTableIdentityIterator row = rows.get(0);
-            assert row.dataSize != 0;
+            assert row.dataSize > 0;
             out.writeLong(row.dataSize);
             row.echoData(out);
             return;
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public class LazilyCompactedRow extends AbstractCompactedRow implements IIterabl
         ColumnFamily.serializer().serializeCFInfo(emptyColumnFamily, clockOut);
 
         long dataSize = headerBuffer.getLength() + clockOut.getLength() + columnSerializedSize;
-        assert dataSize != 0;
+        assert dataSize > 0;
         out.writeLong(dataSize);
         out.write(headerBuffer.getData(), 0, headerBuffer.getLength());
         out.write(clockOut.getData(), 0, clockOut.getLength());
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/PrecompactedRow.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/PrecompactedRow.java
index 2899249e09..02112a74ea 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/PrecompactedRow.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/PrecompactedRow.java
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ public class PrecompactedRow extends AbstractCompactedRow
 
     public void write(PageCacheInformer out) throws IOException
     {
-        assert buffer.getLength() != 0;
+        assert buffer.getLength() > 0;
         out.writeLong(buffer.getLength());
 
         List<Pair<Integer, Integer>> pageCacheMarkers = buffer.getPageCacheMarkers();
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/sstable/SSTableWriter.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/sstable/SSTableWriter.java
index 9205b46303..067be8f9c3 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/sstable/SSTableWriter.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/io/sstable/SSTableWriter.java
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ public class SSTableWriter extends SSTable
         long endPosition = dataFile.getFilePointer();
         dataFile.seek(sizePosition);
         long dataSize = endPosition - (sizePosition + 8);
-        assert dataSize != 0;
+        assert dataSize > 0;
         dataFile.writeLong(dataSize);
         // finally, reset for next row
         dataFile.seek(endPosition);