India's alternative medicine minister claims yoga can be used to prevent or cure cancer.

A "cure for cancer" using yoga could be scientifically proven within a year, India's alternative medicine minister has claimed.

Shripad Yasso Naik said researchers at a Bangalore institute had found evidence that yoga techniques could be used to prevent or arrest the disease.

"The institute has found a technique of yoga for the prevention and cure of cancer. They have proved it. The process uses only practising of special asanas [poses]," said Naik.

At a conference in Goa on Saturday, Naik said the technique could be prescribed within a year, once research documents submitted to the ministry had been verified, and could even replace chemotherapy.

READ MORE:

* How close are we to curing cancer?

* Kiwi researchers trial miracle drug – as revolutionary as 'penicillin for cancer'

* Hopes of new immune-boosting cancer 'vaccine'

* Why certain yoga poses could be harming your health

* Experts dish on 2016's wellness trends

Dr HR Nagendra, chancellor of the Bangalore-based Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, confirmed to the Indian Sunday Express that the research was taking place.

He did not elaborate on how the technique would work, but has previously said "cyclic meditation", which combines yoga postures with meditation, can treat serious disease.

Nagendra, who worked as a Nasa engineer in the '70s, is known to be close to India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, and has been described as his personal yoga guru.

Indian medical chiefs called for caution over the claims.

"Use of the word cure is not appropriate. It may mislead people. Yoga is a great help and has many benefits. To claim it would cure cancer is premature and not proper," said Rajeev Sood of the Medical Council of India.

"This is not the outcome of controlled, randomised studies. These are observational studies. In our modern medicine we don't consider this proof. It needs further studies."