RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Drummer BRAD WILK On Living With Type 1 Diabetes: 'You Don't Have To Let It Control Your Life'

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and PROPHETS OF RAGE drummer Brad Wilk has spoken out about his long battle with Type 1 diabetes, saying that he has not allowed the autoimmune disease for which there is no cure to control his life. In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system erroneously damages the pancreas's ability to produce insulin. The hormone controls how much glucose, a type of sugar, is passed from the blood into cells for conversion to energy.

"I've been a Type 1 diabetic for almost 20 years now," Wilk wrote on his Instagram account. "Not gonna lie, it's a real shitty but manageable disease. It's very different than Type 2 diabetes in that it has more to do with genetics and or environment. But fact is if you want good control (or to cure your type 2!),it all starts with diet and exercise. Anyone living with this disease, know that you don't have to let it control your life. You need to control the disease. I've been living my life and traveling around the world for 20 years with it. Don't let this disease stop you from doing the things you wanna do. Unless you want to enter a pie-eating contest. I'd say skip that."

In a 2000 interview with DiabetesForecast.com, Wilk revealed that he was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1997 while on tour with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. He said: "One night on tour, I went to bed and had to get up to urinate four or five times during the night — and I didn't drink anything before I went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, my eyesight had diminished by about 40 percent. I could barely see 10 feet in front of me. Everything was a blur. I also felt seriously weighed down and sluggish."

Of the estimated 425 million people living with diabetes, around 10% have Type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes has to be treated with insulin. If untreated, the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes is a death sentence.

Wilk co-founded RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE in 1991 with guitarist Tom Morello, singer Zack de la Rocha and bassist Tim Commerford.

When that group broke up, Wilk, Morello and Commerford stayed together and launched AUDIOSLAVE in 2001 with Chris Cornell on vocals. Wilk, Morello and Commerford have continued to play together in PROPHETS OF RAGE alongside MCs Chuck D and B-Real.

Wilk also played drums on BLACK SABBATH's 2013 studio album, "13", the first SABBATH effort in 35 years to feature founding members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler.