Officials concede they are refraining from offering a preliminary or cursory analysis of the e-mail because they are "trying not to excite Pearl's family, friends and colleagues" at The Wall Street Journal, where the 38-year-old Pearl works as a reporter.

CNN: Conflicting reports on missing reporter's fate

In December, an analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association regarding the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial trial found that neither of the supplements provided a benefit in prostate cancer prevention.

CNN: Study: Multivitamins don't lower older women's cancer risk