Would eating or drinking before collecting my DNA affect my results?

No, eating or drinking before your DNA collection does not change the outcome of your test. A positive result will not become a negative, and a negative will not become a positive due to food, drink, or anything else in your mouth.

The instructions to avoid eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing gum for a period before collection are primarily to ensure we can obtain a viable sample. If these guidelines aren't followed, the main risk is that the sample might not contain enough DNA for testing, or it might be too contaminated for the laboratory to process. In such cases, a result would not be issued, and a new sample collection would be requested.